Chapter 9 – A Fine Line
"Tonks, you've got to understand-" said Remus, holding up his hands then ducking as another plate flew past his head.
"No Remus, I don't understand," shouted Tonks, glowering at him, grabbing another mug and raising it threateningly. "She's a Death Eater! She's killed hundreds of people! She tried to kill your friends! There an entire wall of files dedicated to her at headquarters, for heaven's sake! How can you be friends with someone like that?"
"She'd never hurt me," said Remus gently, advancing slowly on her and prising the cup from her hands. She let go reluctantly and folded her arms, still glaring at him. They were in his flat; he'd taken her there before things got out of hand at the Ministry and he was hauled off for questioning. "She needs me-"
"And what happens when she stops needing you?" asked Tonks furiously, swallowing hard. "If she suddenly decides you know too much?"
"It's not like that," said Remus, lifting his gaze to meet hers and realising how close to tears she was. "She's never asked me anything about the Order and I don't ask her about the Death Eaters. They're not important."
"Not important?" asked Tonks, in a horrified tone of voice. "Remus-"
"That's not what I meant," amended Remus quickly, wondering how he'd got himself into this mess. "I mean we never let this stupid war come between us. And I need her Tonks. She's the last friend I've got."
"That's rubbish," interjected Tonks. "You've got plenty of friends."
Remus sighed and sat down. "Out of the six good friends I had in school, she's the only one that isn't either dead or in Saint Mungo's."
"Yes, but only because she's been in Azkaban," pointed out Tonks.
"Sirius was in Azkaban," said Remus quietly.
"What's that got to do with anything? Sirius was innocent," frowned Tonks. "And he didn't try to kill any of your friends."
"He tried to kill Peter," said Remus, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "And Katherine didn't try to kill Lily and James." Tonks opened her mouth to interrupt again, but Remus held up a hand and said calmly: "Listen to me Tonks, if Katherine had tried to kill them, they would have died. I mean, you said yourself she's killed hundreds of people. It's not like she hasn't had any practice."
Tonks was grudgingly silent for a moment, seeing his point. "I still don't see what Sirius has to do with it," she said eventually.
"You trusted him, right?"
"Of course."
"Do you think he was a good judge of character?" probed Remus.
"He was right about Snape. He never did trust him," agreed Tonks, sounding a little calmer. Remus nodded, knowing that the temporary calm was going to vanish as soon as Tonks heard what he had to say.
"He trusted Katherine."
Tonks frowned. "What d'you mean?"
"I mean he believed she wasn't as bad as she's made out to be," said Remus, thinking even as he said it that Sirius had been wrong. Katherine was every bit as bad as Moody thought she was; it was just that she wasn't always like that.
"Sirius was friends with her too?" asked Tonks sceptically.
"Not exactly friends," said Remus slowly. "They were engaged."
There was a ringing silence in the dark room, then:
"I presume it was you who sent this idiot to find me?"
A black robed figure broke out of their place in the circle and rushed to the motionless body on the floor.
"Leave him, Alexandra," said Voldemort firmly, though his eyes never left his wanton daughter. Alex stifled a sob and stood up, trembling, her fists clenched. The Dark Lord ignored her, his attention focused on Katherine. "So my dear, you have decided to return to us at last."
Katherine smiled sweetly. "I never left you."
"And yet you have not deigned to grace us with your presence before now," observed Voldemort. "Despite having been out of Azkaban for weeks."
"What? You expected me to come back, as good as gold? But then how would you ever have a chance to miss me?" asked Katherine, looking angelically up at her father. "What's the point in breaking out of the most secure prison in the world if you don't get to make a big entrance when you get back?"
"So you weren't making a bid for freedom?" queried the Dark Lord, his tone indicating that he did not believe a word of her story.
"I agreed to a lifetime's service," replied Katherine calmly, noticing someone to her right tilt their head slightly as though considering this remark. Avery was evidently still as sharp as always.
"And?"
"And I'm still alive, aren't I?"
"Yes, but for how much longer is debatable," remarked the Dark Lord, running a long white finger along the wand in his hand. "You see Katherine, I am not entirely convinced that you are still useful."
"Kill me then," challenged Katherine, somewhat unwisely in the opinion of many of the figures surrounding father and daughter. "Or if you don't wish too, and judging by the fact that I'm still breathing, you don't, then hear what I have to say."
As the silence that followed this proposal stretched out, Katherine began to wonder if she'd made the right decision. Hadn't she only just told her cousin that it was foolish to stand in front of a Death Eater without a shield charm? And Tom was more than just a Death Eater, he was immortal. For now.
"All right then, my dear," said Voldemort softly, interrupting her train of thought. "Convince me that I shouldn't kill you..."
"Engaged?" repeated Tonks faintly, quite taken aback. "Sirius loved her?"
"They were together for more than year," said Remus, privately adding on and off. He cautiously moved closer to Tonks now that it looked like he wasn't in immediate danger of being hexed.
"But-" began Tonks, then stopped as the fireplace flared green and a blonde haired woman tumbled out of it.
"Faye?" asked Remus, as Tonks lowered her wand. Faye picked herself up, brushing soot from her robes.
"Oh Remus, thank goodness you're here-" she gushed, then cast an alarmed look at Tonks, noticing her for the first time. "Oh, hello."
Tonks frowned at the cool reaction and tightened her grip on her wand very slightly. "Something wrong?"
"No," stammered Faye, wishing she had her cousin's easy way of talking herself out of trouble. "I..."
"She knows about Katherine, Faye," said Remus tiredly, noticing Tonks' sudden scowl. She evidently hadn't guessed that Faye also knew Remus and Katherine's history.
Faye looked startled. "How did you know-?"
"Miss Archer paid the Ministry a little visit earlier," said Tonks, looking uncharacteristically grave.
"Why on earth would she do that?" asked Faye in astonishment. "Does she want to get caught?"
"You know, that's a good point," said Tonks, turning on Remus. "What was she doing there?"
"Helping me out," said Remus, gazing dolefully at Tonks. "Kensington was planning on taking me to Voldemort to use as bait."
"For what?" frowned Tonks, utterly thrown by this.
"Katherine," said Remus. "I presume he was under orders from Voldemort to find her by any means necessary."
"But Voldemort's the one who got her out of Azkaban," said Tonks slowly, as though talking to a very young child. "Why on earth would he need to send his followers to look for her?"
Remus and Faye exchanged guiltily looks then Faye said gently, "Katherine got herself out of Azkaban, Tonks."
"And she hasn't been near Voldemort," added Remus. "Or he wouldn't be looking for her."
Tonks arched an eyebrow at him. "If she's been out of Azkaban for a couple of weeks and she hasn't rejoined Voldemort, then what has she been doing?"
Remus opened his mouth to answer, then closed it again. The truth was that he had no idea. It wasn't like Katherine to go into hiding and yet he was sure that if the paper hadn't got hold of the story, Katherine wouldn't have voluntarily shown her face. Then again, it wasn't like Katherine was a coward. Turning up in the middle of Auror HQ when her face was on every Wanted poster in the country had proved that. She was either brave or incredible stupid and Remus knew from experience that she wasn't the latter.
"She's changed, Remus," said Faye softly, disturbing his thoughts. "She's not as careless as she used to be."
"She was never careless," frowned Remus.
"Oh you know what I mean," said Faye, shaking her head. "It's like she's found something to channel her energy into. She doesn't waste as much time being flippant. When I told her I was staying here, she just accepted it, no arguments."
"Wait a minute, she came to see you?" asked Tonks. "When was this?"
"Just now," answered Faye, looking serenely back at Tonks.
"Didn't you hear Kensington telling her he knew about her cousin?" asked Remus, frowning at Tonks, who shook her head.
"I was more concerned with the fact that you'd just knocked me on the floor."
"I didn't want you getting hit by accident," explained Remus earnestly. "She looked ready to kill Kensington."
"And you were just saying what a lovely person she really is," observed Tonks, giving Remus an appraising look.
"Well she is when you're her friend," protested Remus.
"And exactly how many friends has she got?" asked Tonks, folding her arms. Remus took a moment to think about it.
"Out of everyone I can think of," said Remus slowly. "I'd say definitely at least two. Me and Faye."
Tonks snorted derisively. "Faye's family, that doesn't count. You've got to love family. Katherine Archer is dangerous. We sent two Ministry workers to her old flat last week and one of them ended up in St Mungo's."
Remus tried very hard not to look as guilty as sin as Faye asked in a creditably calm voice, "What happened to him?"
"No one's quite sure. Dulce says he just collapsed on the floor after going in - seems like it must have been some kind of security measure. The healers say he can't talk, let alone move. They're not even sure he can hear, though I don't suppose that matters too much to your friend," she added, looking accusingly at Remus.
"He shouldn't have been trying to break in," murmured Remus, trying to make sense of this new information in his head. Katherine had never mentioned any extra security measures before, certainly not one that left the would be burglar lying conspicuously paralysed in the doorway.
"So Reeves deserved what he got, is that what you think?" demanded Tonks angrily. "He's only a couple of years older than me and now he's going to be spending the rest of his life in a hospital bed."
But Remus wasn't listening anymore, he was looking worriedly at Faye who was biting her lip, evidently thinking the same thing as him. The man who'd run out onto the balcony that day had been called Reeves, which meant that Dulce was lying about the security measure, which meant something very strange was going on, which, in Remus' experience, meant that somewhere at the bottom of it, he'd undoubtedly find Katherine...
"So you're teaching at Hogwarts?" asked Voldemort, looking suspiciously at Katherine. They had retired to a back room after he had dismissed the rest of his followers; this was not a conversation either of them wanted to have in public.
"Faye Belle is teaching at Hogwarts," answered Katherine, surveying the pale face and trying to summon up some a trace of familial affection, some echo of a connection to this man whose blood ran in her veins. "At least, that's what Minerva thinks. I must thank you for getting Dumbledore out of the way at last. He would have made things considerably more difficult for me."
"And this Faye Belle?" inquired Voldemort, ignoring the complement.
"Dead as a doornail," replied Katherine cheerfully. "And transfigured into a stone. Probably being kicked around on Southend sea front at this very moment."
"You did it yourself her?"
"Of course. Can't have a blood traitor spoiling the family name now, can we?" smiled Katherine easily. "She claimed she'd rather die than join us, so I took her at her word. That's not a problem, is it?"
"No," said Voldemort, appearing to accept this answer. "You ill not disappoint me again."
"Never, Master."
"Then you will kindly release McKenzie from whatever curse he is under."
Katherine pulled her wand out of her jeans pocket and made leave the room to go to the sleeping man when Voldemort suddenly commanded her to stop. She did so and glanced curiously back at him.
"Where is your ring?" he asked sharply, gesturing pointedly at her right hand, in which she held her wand. Katherine took a while to figure out what he meant, then reached for her necklace with her left hand and pulled the chain out of her blouse. Dangling from it, glinting silver in the torchlight were a snake pendant and next to it, a sapphire studded ring.
"I didn't want anyone to identify me from it," she said slowly, watching her father's face carefully. "It's rather distinctive. Alastor said it killed a werewolf when I was five," she added helpfully.
"What?" asked Voldemort, looking distractedly at her. Katherine shrugged.
"He was trying to kill me and the ring did something. I presume it was a one off; I don't recall anything of the sort happening since."
"Very well," nodded Voldemort. "You may go."
Katherine left the room quickly, shutting the door behind her. Well that had been odd...
"What have you done to my brother?" hissed Alexandra, standing up from where she'd been sitting beside James and glaring at Katherine.
"Nothing," said Katherine calmly. "Yet." She flicked her wand and James awoke and sat up, looking around groggily. Katherine knelt down beside him and took his face in one hand, turning it to face hers. "If you ever pull a stunt like that one again, Jamie, I will use Number Four on you, understand?" James tried to out stare her, then gave in and muttered his consent. "Good," smiled Katherine sweetly. "Same goes for you, Alex. You're not to mention Faye Belle to anyone. She's dead and gone, and I won't have anyone thinking differently, all right?"
Alex glowered at her as she stood up. "You should watch your back, Archer. Bellatrix Lestrange is after your blood."
"I can handle Trix, believe me," chuckled Katherine, giving Alex an amused look.
"That's not what she thinks," said Alex resolutely.
"You know what," said Katherine, sighing tiredly. "I don't think I much care." She smiled faintly and walked around the twins, pushing open the door that lead into the hallway. Leaning against the wall opposite was a black robed man with highlighted blond hair and a silver earring that reflected the torchlight. He smiled as the door swung shut behind Katherine and shifted position on the wall.
"There's a fine line between genius and insanity, Kat, and I'm never sure which side you're on."
Katherine laughed quietly, gazing fondly at her old friend. "You know what, Rob? Neither am I."