Chapter 10: Turning Points
Dear Katie,
I don't know what I am doing…
The first place Oliver looked for Alex was the old barn. He had learned over the last weeks that Alex had spent a lot of time playing in the loft growing up. His little brother, however, was nowhere to be seen so Oliver headed for the broom shed where he found Alex's broom missing. Taking out his own, Oliver kicked off, flying low and slow over the grounds of Red's Wood. Finally, he made the gradual climb up Little Hill where he found his brother sitting on the cliff.
"Leave me alone," Alex yelled when he saw Oliver land. His eyes were red and teary.
"Oi, you're in my thinking spot," Oliver retorted, calling on his memory of Fergus' best the-sun-don't-shine-out-of-your-arse tone.
Alex pulled a face, then resolutely turned away from Oliver.
Undeterred, Oliver dropped down next to his brother on the cliff. He said nothing, letting Alex's anger fester between them. This was a trick Fergus used to play with Oliver: Piss him off, then let him stew until it all bubbled over. Sometimes, Oliver would try to knock Fergus' block off (he'd finally managed it when he turned 16 and was as big as his brother at last), but it always seemed to work. In the end, Oliver would get whatever he had to say off his chest and be better for it.
Alex, as it turned out, was not immune to this treatment either. His anger was very near the surface, rolling off him in waves. He repeatedly shot dirty looks in Oliver's direction. Oliver's seeming indifference just increased the tension until, finally, Alex launched himself at his older brother.
There was some flailing arms and wild punches, but Oliver simply pushed his brother off, pinning him to the ground with a hand on his chest. Alex had tears running down his face and he was clutching at Oliver's wrist. Kneeling over his prostrate brother, Oliver wondered at the role reversal. Not so many years ago, it was him that was pinned to the ground by an older brother.
"Are you done yet?" Oliver asked evenly.
"What do you care?" Alex spit back.
"I'm your brother, of course I care."
"You didn't seem to notice for the last twelve years."
That stung. Mostly because it was true.
"I'm sorry for that," Oliver said. "I'm rubbish at this big brother stuff, but I want to try."
"Like yesterday?" Alex raged. "You left me with her and went off to Hogwarts. You don't belong at Hogwarts, I do!"
There was no mistaking the "her" in Alex's statement. Alex's frustration with Mum's overbearing coddling had been growing steadily. Oliver wondered if his brother was as scared as he was annoyed. Mum was not acting herself and if Oliver found it off-putting, he could only imagine what Alex must think.
"Alex, I was going to see Katie," Oliver sputtered, blushing as he remembered the change rooms. "We…it wasn't the type of thing a kid brother gets to tag along for."
"Who said I wanted to tag along? I could have gone to visit my friends who I haven't seen in a month while you were snogging your girlfriend."
"That's a fair point," Oliver conceded. "I hadn't thought of that. If it helps, Dougal and Fergus used to ditch me for birds all the time."
"It doesn't."
Oliver sighed. "If I let you up, are you going to take a swing at me again?"
Alex crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe."
"Ugh!" Oliver bellowed. "Having a little brother is a pain in the arse."
"Just leave me alone," Alex muttered.
I don't know what to do about Alex. When he finally returned home, he locked himself in his room and wouldn't come out. Mum was beside herself, but Dad wouldn't let her go through Alex's wards. I keep wracking my brains, trying to think of what Dougal would do, but I am no good at the older brother stuff.
Your Oliver
oOo
Dear Oliver,
I am writing this from detention…
Bloody NEWTs! It should be illegal to be heading for the library when the sun was shining on the grounds like that, extra sentencing to be meeting Cho Chang to study for Arithmancy. That girl only ever wanted to talk about books or boys. She was a bloody Seeker, one would think they could have a decent conversation about Quidditch.
The least Katie could do was take the long way around to the library, passing the tall west-facing windows that let sunlight pour through like molten gold, warming the corridor, lifting her spirits. From there she'd be able to see the Black Lake and the willow tree under which Oliver had kissed her, enjoy the day vicariously through the first and second years frolicking on the lake's shores.
Katie heaved a sigh. Did she really need a good score in Arithmancy? Yes, she supposed she did.
Rounding the corner into the sunlit corridor, Katie heard a grating voice filling the air. Merlin's pants, Pansy Parkinson. The only girl on the planet more annoying than Cho Chang, who was at least smart. Parkinson was looming over Dennis Creevey and a young Slytherin girl who were seated together in one of the window ledges, books and photographs spread across their laps. Dennis had a mutinous expression on his sweet, young face. The girl looked torn between wanting to die and wanting to scream.
"Astoria," Pansy shrieked, "you are a disgrace to your family. Wait until I tell your sister that you are associating with Mudbloods!"
Dennis shot up, scattering books and photos on the flagstone. He was barely taller than Pansy, who was not at all intimidated. The girl, Astoria, stooped down to scoop up the fallen things.
"Sit down, Mudblood," sneered Pansy's companion, jabbing the smaller boy with his wand.
The whole scene seemed to take on a surreal quality, as if it were all happening in slow motion. Ice water was running through Katie's veins as she recognized the white blonde head of the taller, older boy. Draco Malfoy. Foul words falling from his lips. Wand pointed at an innocent boy.
"Oi! Malfoy!" Katie yelled. She dropped her rucksack and rushed between the younger pair and Malfoy. She glared at his pointed face, watching his eyes take on a nervous sheen. "Leave. Him. Alone."
"Great," huffed Parkinson. "Another filthy Mudblood."
"Shut it, Pansy," said Astoria quietly, but angrily.
"Yeah," Malfoy chimed in; he had backed behind Parkinson now. Beads of sweat had collected on his forehead as he eyed Katie. "What do we care who Baby Greengrass plays with? It's her reputation, not ours."
"She is a disgrace to Slytherin House," sneered Parkinson. "She shames her sister and by extension me. Come on, Astoria, and I won't tell your parents this time."
Katie was too intent on staring down the squirming Malfoy to care what was going on with Dennis and Astoria. This was the first time she had seen him since she'd returned to Hogwarts, since her conversation with Harry in the change rooms. This was the monster of her dreams? This cowering, sniveling, pathetic stooge? He couldn't even stand up to Parkinson.
"What's wrong with you?" Parkinson demanded, looking at Malfoy. "You are acting as if you are scared of this filthy Mudblood."
"Don't be stupid, Pansy," he replied, all the polish gone from his drawl. "She is just a…a Mudblood."
The blood in Katie's veins surged hot and insistent. She would not be dismissed by this prat as chattel. She was a person, a witch. He couldn't take that from her.
"This one isn't even smart enough to keep her hands off a cursed necklace," Parkinson sneered.
Katie's fist connected with Parkinson's eye with a sickening thud. Astoria screamed as Parkinson fell to the ground, wailing as if she were dying. Power surged through Katie. She was a person. She could be hurt, she would be missed. She was loved. These people did not get to diminish that with their words and schemes.
"Holy cow, Katie!" Dennis gasped.
Malfoy was pointing his wand at Katie in a trembling hand. His face was contorted in panic. "You-you shouldn't have done that."
Katie's wand was out, steady and dangerous. "You shouldn't have Imperiused me!"
"That wasn't me," he whimpered.
Katie shot a jinx at him and it bounced off a shimmering shield. "Then why are you so scared, Malfoy? I'm just a Mudblood, remember?"
"Look, let me get Pansy…"
"I am not your victim!" Katie raged, advancing on him with silent hexes and jinxes. "You leave Dennis alone. You leave this girl alone! You are a bullying, murderous coward."
"It wasn't me!" he squealed.
Katie rushed the taller boy, forgetting about the wand in her hand. They tussled as he tried to push her off. Katie almost laughed when she realized that this supposedly fearsome, pureblood wizard didn't know how to fight back Muggle style. He put his hand on her face, trying to push her away again. Katie grabbed his arm, and he howled as if in pain.
"Is that where it is?" Katie breathed through clenched teeth, squeezing his arm cruelly. "Is this your Dark Mark? Show me. You're so proud, so far above me, show it. Prove your superiority."
Malfoy pushed her off this time and they both fell on their arses with the force.
"Stupid Mudblood!" he yelled, cradling his arm.
"Eat slugs!" Katie screamed, pointing her wand at the blond boy.
Much to her satisfaction, his face twisted into a grimace. With a burp, he wretched up slugs.
"You've deserved that for four years, bloody git."
"Miss Bell."
Katie turned resolutely to Professor McGonagall. Astoria was standing beside the taller woman, her face worried but defiant. Dennis was holding Pansy's wand along with his own, staring daggers at Astoria. McGonagall, for her part, seemed sympathetic. And maybe a little proud?
"I'm afraid it will be detention for use of magic in the hallways," the old professor said. "And ten points from Gryffindor."
"That's it?" Pansy demanded shrilly.
"Well, Miss Parkinson," McGonagall said, her posture becoming even more rigid and imposing. "I am afraid I have never been allowed to hand out detentions for character flaws such as obnoxiousness, so you may run along. And take Malfoy to the infirmary. That is repulsive."
McGonagall walked away. Parkinson snatched her wand from Dennis before gathering up Malfoy. She shot Katie a dirty look as they went.
"You shouldn't have done that," Dennis hissed at Astoria when they were gone.
Astoria's face went haughty in her annoyance. She took her book and smashed it on top of Dennis's head. "Don't be so dense, you ridiculous Gryffindor."
"You got Katie in trouble," he accused.
"I got Katie help," the girl shot back indignantly.
Katie laughed. "Dennis, is this your girlfriend?"
"No!" they both denied.
"Dennis likes boys. And I…" Astoria scuffed her shoe on the flagstone. "I like jerks."
"Well, thank you for getting McGonagall," Katie said, pushing a shaky and aching hand through her hair. "It was the right thing to do. I-I don't know what came over me."
"You—that—Bloody wicked!" Dennis enthused.
Katie took a deep breath and changed the subject: "So, what are you two doing together?"
Now that the adrenaline was waning, Katie was beginning to tremble. Her hand more than ached, it hurt.
"We're friends," Dennis answered, with a shrug. "Astoria helped fish me out of the Black Lake when I fell out of the boat."
"You ruined my favorite pair of shoes," Astoria complained, sticking her nose in the air.
"They were green, Astoria," Dennis retorted with a roll of the eyes. "What if you'd been put in Ravenclaw?"
"But I wasn't."
"You should have been. At least the gits in Ravenclaw are not slimy on top of being a jerk."
"Okay, okay," Katie giggled, raising her hands in surrender, then winced. "I get it. You're friends."
You know how the incident with the necklace has haunted me, but now I feel like…like I took a little something back from Malfoy. I don't know how to put it into words. This time, I got to fight back, which is something he took away from me when he Imperiused me. It still doesn't get back those six months I lost, but maybe I have to learn to live with that. At least now, I know that I am more than his victim.
About Alex… I think you are too hard on yourself, love. Your brothers were your idols. In your mind, they could do no wrong and had all the answers. But they were human, just like you. Dougal was probably making it up as he went along. I know Fergus was, I remember him well enough to say that with some certainty. Alex is grieving, just like you. You two will figure it out together if you just trust yourself.
Your Katie
oOo
"Katie is one smart girl," Catriona said as she handed the letter back to Oliver.
Oliver was on the floor with Campbell as he was scooting across the floor in some sort of inchworm fashion. He was determined, but he looked odd doing it.
"Catriona, I think there is something wrong with your kid," Oliver said conversationally. "That cannot be normal."
He got whacked over the head with a pillow for that one.
"I suppose I deserved that."
"Damn right you did, you prat," Catriona grumbled.
"So," Oliver said pointedly, "what am I going to do about Alex?"
Alex was still in the midst of an icy standoff with the rest of the family. Oliver had tried to approach him several times without success. Mum was worrying herself into a frazzle over him, but Dad was taking a hands-off approach as long as Alex was respectful. Oliver didn't know which parent annoyed him more. Mum needed to back off, but he wished Dad would intervene.
"You give him space," Catriona answered.
Oliver grunted his disagreement at that.
"Ollie, you can't fix things for Alex, just like Dougal never fixed things for you."
Oliver opened his mouth to argue, but was forestalled by Catriona.
"Listen," she said, "Katie is right. Dougal didn't know what he was doing, but he knew you and he had faith that you could work it out with a little push. You need to give Alex time and you need to get to know him. And you need to let yourself adjust to being the big brother."
Tears came to her eyes, but she continued. "You are being so strong for all of us and I know you are overwhelmed, but Dougal would be so proud of you. Fergus, too."
Oliver turned his back on Catriona, tears in his eyes. He couldn't express how honored her words made him feel. He felt Catriona's arms come around his shoulders from behind. She leaned her cheek against his back and they wept together until Campbell's cries interrupted them.
The adults looked at the red-faced baby with his comical scowl and began laughing. Catriona scooped the baby up, nuzzling his neck with her nose. He fisted his hands in her hair, crying indignantly.
"Do you know," Catriona said, laughing through her tears, "Madame Rosemerta gave me the butterbeer recipe at the funeral?"
Oliver stared at Catriona for a moment, stricken, before the absurdity of it hit him and he could laugh with her. He tried to imagine what Dougal would have said to that. He had tried to wheedle it out of the barmaid several times without success. She always told me she'd share it over my dead body, the hag!
"Is crying all you people ever do?" Alex demanded, appearing in the threshold with a glower.
"I was telling Catriona about those pitiful punches you threw at me last week," Oliver jeered with a smirk. A little brotherly derision went a long way, he knew. "We laughed until we cried."
Alex's glare deepened. "Sod off."
"Maybe," Oliver called, "you'd like me to show you how to throw a real punch?"
Alex stilled, but he wouldn't look at Oliver. "Yeah?"
"As long as you don't tell Mum."
oOo
Dear Oliver,
The strangest thing happened today…
"Professor," Katie said after class, "you wanted to see me?"
McGonagall looked up from her papers, her face impassive. "Aye, Miss Bell, please have a seat."
Katie took a seat in the first row. To her surprise, McGonagall came around and sat beside her at the table. The old professor conjured a tea set, enchanting the tea pot to pour two cups.
"Would you like cream or sugar?" McGonagall asked.
"Yes, both please."
Before long, Katie was sipping a hot cuppa with a tin of biscuits sitting in front of her. She couldn't help but wonder what all of this was about. In all of her time at Hogwarts, Katie had never taken tea with her Head of House. It was all rather amusing and incredible, really.
"Miss Bell," McGonagall began, "I wanted to speak to you about the other day with Malfoy."
Katie shifted in her seat. "I've already served my detention, Professor."
"Yes, of course, I am not concerned about that," McGonagall dismissed. "I understand that you made some accusations regarding Mr. Malfoy's part in your incident."
"Yes," Katie said slowly, "I reckon I did."
"Did you remember something about the incident?"
"No," Katie admitted.
"I see," McGonagall said evenly. "You've been speaking to Potter."
Katie remained stubbornly silent. She wasn't sure where this interview was going, but she wouldn't implicate Harry in any way. McGonagall, however, seemed less interested in how Katie had come to decide that Malfoy was her attacker.
"Did you seek Malfoy out, my dear?" she asked.
Katie looked up in surprise. "No! I-I just came upon him picking on Dennis and the Greengrass girl. He called Dennis a 'Mudblood.'"
"Yes, Miss Greengrass reported as much." The Professor paused, seemingly taking Katie's measure. She pursed her lips, then spoke, "I am afraid we have not taken into account your mental health after all this, Miss Bell."
"What?" Katie demanded incredulously. "I am not mad."
"No, of course not," McGonagall agreed easily. She patted Katie's fisted hand where it lay on the table. "But perhaps you are feeling violated?"
Katie crossed her arms, tears coming to her eyes. "He took away my will. He didn't ask. He didn't even tell me. He just stole from me."
"And you have been feeling vulnerable?"
Katie wiped her tears, ignoring McGonagall's handkerchief. "I lost six months of my life, I could have died, and he goes on with life as usual. King of Slytherin, shagging that slag Parkinson, playing at Death Eater. He's such a sniveling piece of—"
"Yes, true," McGonagall interrupted, her lips twitching. "I am glad to see you still retain your spirit, Miss Bell, you are going to need it before all of this is over."
"All of what?" Katie asked, leaning towards her Head of House, remembering that she had always felt affectionately for the old woman.
"The war, of course. Things are going to get worse before they get better. Such is the way in times like these." McGonagall sighed heavily, looking older than her years and more tired than Katie had ever seen her. "Keep your spirit strong, my dear."
Then McGonagall's lips twitched again and she asked, "Did it feel good? Taking back what he stole?"
Katie flashed a wide, devilish grin. "I feel like a new woman."
McGonagall chuckled outright then. "Good to hear."
oOo
Dear Oliver,
Oh, God, something terrible has happened…
Late June
Hogwarts
"Katie. Katie, wake up."
Katie was roused from her bed by Leanne pulling back her curtains. "What is it?"
"I don't know," Leanne said. "Hurry!"
Katie snatched her wand off the bedside table and rushed after the other seventh year girls into the common room. The seventh year boys were also roused from bed, as well as Dean and Seamus and a smattering of other, younger students. Notably, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville were missing. A stone dropped into Katie's stomach. She didn't like this.
"What's going on?" Katie demanded.
"What the—" McLaggen muttered as he tried to push the portrait open. "She won't open up!"
"Get out of the way, Cormac," Hal huffed. He had long been of the opinion that his yearmate was an idiot. But it became rather obvious, as Hal pushed on the portrait, that it would not open.
"Are we sealed in?" Lavender Brown asked. She and Parvati Patil had just come from their stairwell, followed by a number of younger girls.
"Where's Ginny?" Demelza asked, but she was ignored.
"Why would we be sealed in?" Seamus asked. It was obvious from his posture that he was on edge.
There was silence as all of Gryffindor stared at the portrait hole. Katie hugged herself, that uneasy feeling growing. Nothing like this had happened before, not even when Sirius Black was on the loose. Whatever would cause McGonagall to lock the Gryffindors in the tower must be grave and Katie didn't like to think about what that meant.
"Let's everyone be ready," Katie announced. "We don't know what is going on, but we should be prepared for anything. Everybody, shoes and wands please. And youngers, stay in your dorms until told otherwise."
There was a general grumble of dissent, but the younger girls were herded back to their dorms by Lavender and Parvati. The boys, on the other hand, were standing around uselessly. Katie rolled her eyes. Typical boys. Even the eleven-year-old Gryffindor male wanted to meet the dragon head on.
"Jack, Ritchie," Katie barked. "Take the younger boys upstairs, will you?"
Katie approached Dean and Seamus. "Where are the rest of your dormmates?"
The boys regarded Katie steadily.
"Out in whatever this is, I'm sure," Seamus replied darkly.
"Katie!" Leanne screamed. She was standing at the window that faced the Astronomy Tower. Her face was stricken and Katie felt panic try to claw its way up from her gut, but she pushed it down.
She rushed to her friend's side, the two sixth year boys right behind her. What Katie saw out the window made the bottom drop out of her stomach. She threw her arms around the sobbing Leanne, if only to keep herself upright. She tried to remember ever feeling so scared.
"It's the Dark Mark," Seamus reported grimly to the common room at large.
Dumbledore is dead. It was Snape…
A/N: I can't believe it's November already. There are three more chapters to this story, but starting next week, I'll be posting Pictures and another chapter fic. It's called The Year of the Weasley Scarves. As you can imagine from the title, it is full of Weasley goodness. It will take place in the autumn after the war ended and we will see at least a glimpse of all the Weasleys (and maybe just a tiny bit of Katie and Oliver). I hope you'll check it out and let me know what you think!