Sorry this took a while to get out there. Work was kicking my ass.
Enjoy, and please review! It'll make it seem a little more worthwhile. I need a little bit of positive energy!
Please?
Jeffrey, Severus, and Nayeli walked slowly into the Grand Hall, in a daze. They'd woken up early, not able to rest very well. A shadow seemed to loom over Hogwarts today, and they drowned in it. They couldn't believe that their mother was gone.
Ignoring everyone else, Nayeli sat with Jeffrey and Severus at the Slytherin table. This brought up many questions about Nayeli's actions, as she almost never sat with Severus, let alone wanted it to be known that she was related to him.
Severus stared off at the Gryffindor table, and caught Kathryn's eye. She smiled at him and blushed, and he smiled briefly, but his smile faded soon after as Draco and Blaise joined their depressed group. Kathryn looked down at her bowl of oatmeal, half finished. She pushed the rest of it around in her bowl, worried.
Severus's mood only meant one of two things. A family matter had come up, or he was upset with her, she thought. Lily and Albus exchanged looks as Draco and Blaise sat down. None of them smiled.
"Did something happen last night? I don't see Sheeva." Lily asked, looking around. Kathryn looked up, a sliver relieved. She still felt bad for all of them, however. She excused herself and stood, walking over to the Slytherin table and to Severus and Nayeli. She rested a hand on their shoulders, squeezing lightly.
"Are you all—She began, but was cut off by the headmaster. The hall silenced as he cleared his throat. He pointed his wand to his throat and began to talk in a projected voice.
"Miss Sheeva is away on personal business. Her term of leave is undefined. Until she returns, the third classroom in the back of the library is off limits to students and teachers, and perpetrators will be punished." He stated in his most threatening manner. Students that didn't know about the classroom ignored the statement, as they couldn't care less.
Other students began to whisper among themselves: Where did Sheeva go? Why'd she leave without telling us?
Kathryn's stomach churned. Severus and she had just been there last night. Had there been an accident? She wondered. She looked at Professors Malfoy and Zabini, and then down at Severus, Nayeli, and Jeffrey. She could only imagine how they felt.
They avoided eye contact for a while, picking at their food. Jeffrey managed to finish his plate only because Kathryn kept egging them all on. He understood that she was trying to make sure that they were all right.
"What happened?" She asked. Nayeli looked up and caught glances with her father, who nodded, and looked around.
"Not here. We don't know if we are being watched." He muttered. Kathryn barely heard it, but she blinked a few times. She nodded slowly. For them to act so severely, she figured that it must have been something extremely dangerous.
"Daddy… What does undefined mean?" Jeffrey asked, confused. Blaise stared at their youngest.
"It means that they don't know." He answered.
"Oh… but… Mommy will be back soon, right?" He asked. Draco and Blaise caught eyes, and then looked back at him. They nodded and forced a smile.
"She'll be back soon." They reassured him. The twins scowled, as they honestly felt that wasn't the case. Both of them, in a way, had seen who and what she was up against, and it ate at their confidence in their mother.
The silence finally got to him, and Severus dropped his fork and excused himself, muttering an apology to Kathryn as he passed. The rest of the family stood and rushed after him, including Kathryn. As Severus bypassed his parent's office, Blaise reached out and grabbed the collar of his robes and pulled him back. He opened the door and threw him in. The others followed and Kathryn shut the door behind her. She grew even more alarmed when Nayeli shut and locked the door quickly, muttering a silencing spell.
"This isn't fair!" Severus barked.
He dropped down on the couch, crossing his arms and glaring at a spot on the floor. True, he was being childish, but he didn't care at this moment.
Kathryn sat down next to him, and reached out a hand for him to take. He calmed, and took it.
"Severus, please tell me. What's going on?" She asked him. He huffed and stared at the coffee table.
"She left this morning. There is someone threatening our family, and she is going to kill him." He admitted. His hold on her hand tightened as he fought the urge to cry. He cringed as she set her other hand on top of his, giving his hand a light squeeze for comfort.
Kathryn shuddered slightly as she tried to imagine a bloodthirsty, violent Sheeva. Considering that she was so motherly, it was difficult for her.
"Where did she go?" She asked. When Severus didn't answer, she looked at Nayeli for an answer. Nayeli sat herself down in the chair and stared at her best friend. She took a deep breath, wondering if Kathryn would think that they'd gone absolutely berserk. Nayeli was still in a daze.
"Kadessa, possibly Mayfil." She answered. The words didn't roll off her tongue easily, and she felt extremely awkward saying them.
Kathryn took a moment to remember if she'd ever heard about these places before. She shook her head as she admitted, she didn't have a clue of what they were talking about.
"Those aren't places on Earth, are they?" She asked, somewhat calmly. Nayeli shook her head. Kathryn nodded in realization.
"I see." She muttered. Draco and Blaise grabbed a chair for each of them and sat down. Jeffrey climbed into Draco's lap.
"You seem to be taking this well." Draco commented. Kathryn smiled at him.
"When you open your imagination, anything is possible." She stated, using a line from one of her favorite American television shows, Fringe. She sat back, putting a finger to her lips and mulling things over in her head.
"She left through the mirror in the library." She assessed. She felt Severus tense, and she figured that he was afraid that she'd spill the beans about their being out after hours. She dismissed the concern, as she wasn't a tattletale. Blaise and Draco's mouths dropped open. Severus' eyes flashed in a sudden idea, and his fathers didn't catch it, but his sister did. She sent him a warning look.
"How do you know about that?" They asked. She chuckled at their response.
"I stumbled upon it when I was running away from some bullies last Wednesday." She admitted. She frowned, lost in her thoughts, still upset at the fact that she wouldn't be able to see her father again for a while.
"Huh… I thought Sheeva said that she hid it." Blaise muttered. Kathryn glanced at him, relieved for not being reprimanded.
"She did say that, but in such an obvious place?" Draco asked. Kathryn smiled as a thought came to her.
"People are blind, and often only see what they want to see. An old dusty mirror in an abandoned classroom fits. Nothing is out of the ordinary. People would see it standing there and think nothing of it." She explained, proud of herself. Her professors stared at her, amazed.
Ever the clever girl. Draco found himself thinking. He frowned as he realized that it was something that his wife would say. His chest tightened at the longing he felt for her. She hadn't said goodbye to any of them, and that upset them.
He supposed he understood, however. Long goodbyes brought second thoughts, something that Sheeva couldn't have afforded. Even though she was somewhat of a living machine, she still had moments of weakness. Weaknesses that her enemy could use against her.
"So, who is she going to kill?" Kathryn asked, still unnerved as she tried to imagine Sheeva fighting someone, let alone killing them. Severus' hand tightened on the edge of the couch as he felt his anger rise again.
"Her husband, or who must be an impostor of him." He muttered. Kathryn shot him a confused look.
"Wait, what? I thought she was only married to you two!" She blurted, looking to Draco and Blaise.
"She is. Her previous husband was killed in war. So either she was lied to, or he's come back from the dead, or someone is playing with her head." Draco explained, covering and plugging up his son's ears.
Jeffrey scowled, and crossed his arms, but put up with it anyway.
Kathryn nodded as she understood.
"Anything is possible. Besides, you two have wings, don't you? We all have magic. Who's to say that people coming back from the dead isn't possible?" She suggested. At this, Severus dropped his head and set it in his hands, running his hands through his hair.
Nayeli scowled and crossed her arms too.
"At least we know what that mirror does now." Severus commented. They all stared at him sternly.
"You heard your mother. You're not going." Blaise hissed. Severus glared back at him.
"I can fight too. So can Nayeli." He growled. Kathryn stood and walked around across from him, sitting next to Nayeli. She crossed her arms, giving him a stern look as well. He was slightly surprised. This was a wake-up call for him, and he uncrossed his arms and calmed himself down.
"We don't know what's out there, Severus. Mom does. I really think that you should wait this out. Have a little faith in Mom, ok? It's hard, I know. I'm going to have to deal with this too, just like you." Nayeli consoled him, almost sounding worried that he was going to fly off the handle and do something crazy.
To be honest, he felt like it.
He looked at his family, and closed his eyes, and sighed heavily.
"Sorry…" He mumbled, standing and walking away. Nayeli waited for a few minutes before taking off too, checking to make sure that he wasn't going to try to get into the library. Jeffrey hopped down off of Draco's lap and chased after them.
Kathryn sat there, staring at her hands that were now folded in her lap.
A lot had happened in less than 24 hours. She hadn't felt this dazed since she received the news of her father's death. She blinked back a few tears at the thought, and forced herself to look at something else to get her mind off of things.
Right before winter break, too.
She gasped.
"Finals are next week." She blurted, mostly to herself, her hands itching as she felt the drive to go to her common room and study. However, this drive was quickly shut down by the guilt she felt. She had to go back to the orphanage, she knew. But, how could she leave her friends like this?
"So they are… And winter break is around the corner." Blaise muttered, resting his head on his arm.
As he looked at Kathryn, he almost felt sorry for her. Her face had paled, and she was fidgeting nervously with the hem of her shirt, biting her lip. Her eyes looked from side to side, as though she were contemplating what to do. Figuring it was about the orphanage, he broke the ice.
"Are you going to go back? I don't think that it's a good idea. Severus and Nayeli will be besides themselves." He asked. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes.
"I have to. Those kids… Those poor kids, they rely on me." She muttered, wiping away at her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Take them with you." Draco suggested. At this, she paled even more and looked wide eyed at Draco.
"I can't do that, sir. I can't." She said with a shaky voice. She was definitely terrified of something.
"Why not? What's happening that you're not telling us, Huître?" He growled, reaching up a hand to set it on her shoulder, attempting to comfort her. At his movement, she squeaked and raised her hands to the sides of her head. An involuntary reaction for her, she hadn't had time to resist it.
Draco sat back, and hummed. He recognized it all too well. It was one of the things that he'd do when his father would beat him as a child.
"Do the other kids beat you up?" Blaise asked, slightly worried. She was, after all, dating his son. He could only imagine the emotional baggage she had with her.
She slowly nodded, and then shook her head no.
"They only do it when Madame Maddess is around. I'm the freak of the lot. When she's not around, though, we take care of each other, because all we have is each other. They can't say no, either. They're too afraid. They can't really afford to, either. You obey, or you don't eat." She explained.
"I hardly eat when I'm there. That's why I eat so much here. Because I know that I might not be able to for a week, at best." She muttered. Draco shut and locked the door, muffling the room. He didn't know if Severus or Nayeli knew, but he did not want them walking in on this conversation. It'd kill them.
"Merlin, Kathryn, you'll die if you keep going back there!" Blaise argued with her. She sent him a glare, and shook her head.
"You don't understand! If I don't go back, they will die!" She hissed, outraged. She caught herself, and slinked back, muttering an apology for her outburst. Draco frowned.
"What do you think will happen if you take Severus and Nayeli with you?" He asked. She put her head in her hands, and hid her shame.
"I don't know. I don't want to find out. It'll kill them. Maddess might act civil, and treat us all better, but then once they leave, she'll punish me for bringing them there. She was so furious the first time." She admitted.
"What did she do?"
Blaise's stomach lurched as she grabbed her wand and flicked it, dispelling the blemishing charm she'd placed on herself and lifted her shirt to reveal her stomach.
Freak. Satanist. Slut. Evil witch. As well as many other vile and sickening phrases were carved into her skin. Draco couldn't see, but he didn't need to. Blaise's expression was good enough to guess.
"You're not going back there." Draco growled. She put down her shirt and turned on her heel, facing him, sending him a look that rivaled Nayeli's when she was angry.
"You can't tell me what to do, Professor. You're not my father." She growled.
"As your professor, I am ordering you to stay here, do you understand? Keep in mind that I can give you detention, and you will serve it over the break." He threatened. She glared at him, and scowled.
"Just try and stop me. Anything you throw at me, I'll only outsmart you. I'm going, and there is nothing that you can do to stop it." She demanded, rushing for the door. As she set her hand on it, he turned his head.
"Detention for a week, if you even think about opening that door." He began, pointing at her. She turned the handle and opened the door, wide, as though presenting him a challenge.
"Huître, really, you don't want to go back. Think about this!" Blaise tried to get her to see to reason. She ignored him, and stared at Draco. He stared back.
"If you leave this room, you'll be serving detention for the rest of the year. I'm not kidding, either."
She smirked and flipped him the bird, rushing out of the room and to her commons. Draco and Blaise's mouths dropped open. She, Kathryn Huître, an almost exact copy of Hermione Granger, had given a teacher the bird and directly disobeyed orders.
"I think she's more stubborn than Nayeli…" Blaise muttered, looking at a still flabbergasted Draco.
Kathryn, Severus, and Nayeli spent most of the next few days studying for their finals. If it weren't for Kathryn nagging at them each time that they lost focus, (mostly due to missing their mother), they wouldn't have gotten as much studying done as they'd hoped.
Since Kathryn didn't have a mother, she found it very difficult to relate. She kept pressuring them to stay busy, to forget their worries, and to focus on what was really important: the things that they could do to take care of things at home.
Their tedious studying paid off, as they found that they were able to fly through their tests with ease. Draco and Blaise had forgotten about the charms that they normally put up when the twins would take a test to prevent them from sharing answers, and Nayeli and Severus "cheated" a few times.
Draco and Blaise sighed in relief as they saw that their children had passed. Not to their surprise, Kathryn had passed too, with flying colors. Draco frowned, as he knew that the leaving date for those wishing to return home was drawing close.
Draco set down the letter that he'd written, scanning it over a few times, debating heavily on whether he should give detail to Kathryn's detention. He waved his wand and erased the sentence he'd written about her "disobeying orders and refusing to cooperate", fearing that it might get her into serious trouble with the Madame Maddess.
Instead, he requested that she return a week prior to the start of the second term to serve her detention.
He folded it, sealed it, and stuck it in his pocket, heading to the owlery, feeling somewhat… young as he made the seven-story walk. He hadn't been this way in a very long time, it seemed.
He dropped his head as a few students passed him to get to dinner on time, giving him a strange look. He fumbled with the letter, fighting with himself, wondering if he should really go through with this. He shook his head to clear it. He had to, he felt.
His stomach sank when he looked back up and saw Kathryn, walking down the steps. They barely caught glances, and she nodded her head slightly. Draco stopped, and turned his head as she passed him.
"Again, I'm highly suggesting that you stay. It will be better for you." He stated again, thankful that they were alone, somewhat. Kathryn stopped on a dime, and turned her head back to him, shaking her head.
"And I'm telling you again, sir… no." She growled sternly. He sighed. She really was much more stubborn than his daughter, and it'd probably be the death of her.
He entered the owlery, looking around in nostalgia. Nothing had changed much. He whistled to his owl, who opened a sleepy eye and spread its dark wings and flew to his outstretched arm. Draco took a deep breath and attached the letter to his owl's leg, and walked to the window, sending him off without another word.
He continued to tell himself that he was doing the right thing…
Kathryn was packing her belongings, and Lily was helping. Nayeli was helping one of the other girls pack away her stuff.
When Lily folded the dress that Kathryn had borrowed for her date the weekend previous, Kathryn smiled.
"Here, you take this. Consider it a Christmas present." Lily insisted, placing it gently in the chest. Kathryn bent over and took it out, setting it on the foot of her bed.
"Thank you, but I'll leave it here. If I take it, someone will be tempted to steal it…" She said, forcing a smile. Lily nodded, her excuse bought.
You know what would really happen. Madame Maddess would take it from you in a heartbeat. You're not worth it. You don't deserve such pretty things. Her inner voice hissed at her, angry. True, she really was conflicted, but continued to tell herself that she had to do this, for the children.
She shut her chest with a click, and sealed the contents away with her wand with a spell that she'd learned from Professor Granger. This chest would not open unless it was by her own signature magic, and any attempts at opening it would sting the perpetrator.
Kathryn turned around and sat down on the chest, crossing her arms and giving the room one last look over. She supposed that she was still afraid that she wouldn't be allowed to come back by the school, or that Madame Maddess would refuse her return.
A knock sounded at the door, and Severus and Gary entered, smiling. Kathryn snapped her head in Severus' direction, and smiled. How she would miss seeing his face…
"Hey, ready to go?" He asked, lightheartedly. She slowly nodded, and stood up, casting a zero-gravity spell on her chest. He picked it up and carried it for her. She grabbed her book bag and a few vials of healing potions that she'd smuggled to her room from brewing them in the classroom, including a bezoar stone from the potions storeroom. Draco seemed not to notice, or, if he did, he hadn't figured out who'd taken it.
She slung her back over her shoulder, and cast a zero-gravity spell on it as well, relieved that she was able to stand up straight.
She walked side by side with Nayeli and Severus, who were going to see her off. They'd agreed to take the train to the station, and then floo back to Hogwarts from the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley.
Draco, Jeffrey, and Blaise were already at the loading station. Jeffrey bounded up to Kathryn and gave her a hug. Kathryn smiled and hugged him back.
"I'll miss you, Kathryn!" He chirped. She chuckled, and nodded her head.
"I'll miss you too, Jeffrey. Take care, ok?" She asked. Jeffrey nodded and backed away.
As Draco and Blaise watched their kids say goodbye, they couldn't help the feeling that something was bound to go wrong this time around.
"Did you ever get an answer from the Mad-wom… err… Madame?" Blaise began, slightly joking with her name. Draco shook his head no.
"Never. And, that's what scares me. I was thinking about sending Severus and Nayeli to check on her every so often. I don't care if she hates us for it." He muttered, still bitter about the fact.
Blaise set his hand on Draco's shoulder in comfort. Draco relaxed, but only slightly.
"She's convinced that she's doing the right thing. She's a lot like Sheeva in a way, don't you think? A lot like Nayeli, too. Everything will be fine. I'm… sure of it." Blaise muttered, silencing as the three students began to walk back to them. Draco scowled slightly.
You sure as hell don't sound convinced. He thought.
He hugged Severus and Nayeli goodbye, and gave a slight nod to Kathryn. The train whistled, and they all turned to stare at it. Blaise, Draco, and Kathryn stared at the train in dread. Severus and Nayeli stared at the train in sadness. They'd miss their friend, even if she'd only be gone for four weeks.
Kathryn took the first step away, trying to prepare herself. She found the first empty room she could, slid open the door, and stepped inside. She sat down by the window, Severus sat down beside her, and Nayeli sat down across from the two.
She was silent for a majority of the trip, only moving to lean against Severus, basking in the warmth and security he provided, trying to burn it into her memory, into her skin. Her stomach was tightening itself, and she fought to keep from trembling.
"Write to us, promise you will?" Nayeli stated. She looked at her best friend, and forced a smile.
"As often as I can, you know that, Nayeli." She reassured her friend. Nayeli smiled, and dug something from her pocket. It was a small red string bracelet, and she grabbed Kathryn's wrist and slipped it on.
"I made this for you, so that you don't miss us quite so badly." She smiled. Kathryn smiled too, and grabbed Nayeli's hand before she could pull it away.
"Thank you, very much, Nayeli." She whispered, trying to resist the cracking of her voice. Nayeli sniffled, and wiped away a tear teasingly.
"You'll make me cry!" She stated, turning her head away dramatically. Kathryn laughed. She would really miss this, far too much. She rested her head against Severus' chest and closed her eyes, trying to get as much sleep as she could, knowing that this moment of peace would be the last for a while.
Kathryn shivered, alone in the small closet. It was mostly dark; a small sliver of light shone through a hole in the wall that the Madame had put there in a fit of rage.
Austin, one of the older orphans, had her wand, potions, and bezoar stone tucked away inside of his mattress for safe-keeping. It was one of the few things that she'd managed to smuggle out of her book bag without the Madame's notice. To the best of their knowledge, she had no idea about Kathryn's wand.
The other children were happy to see Kathryn, running up to her with wide smiles on their small faces, pale and thin. She almost cried out in anguish at the sight, knowing that, even if they'd get better treatment while she was here, they'd be reduced to this again soon after her leave. Austin and another older orphan, Eliza, were leaning against the wall, scowling at her. They had told her to stay at the school during the breaks, and still, she returned, as though she had a masochistic death wish.
The light from the hole in the wall dimmed as someone peered through it.
"Hey. Wake up. I have something for you. I snuck it from the dinner table."
Kathryn tapped the door lightly to show that yes, she was awake.
The light disappeared completely as the person outside jammed something wrapped in a napkin through the hole. The dry wall cracked and crumbled in some places, but after a few soft pushes, the gift popped out through the other side and fell on Kathryn's head, falling somewhere on the floor.
She felt around for it in the darkness. As she picked it up, she unwrapped it hastily. It was a wheat roll, roughly the size of a tennis ball. She smiled and bit into it hungrily, barely chewing as she swallowed it, her stomach rumbling in content as the small foodstuffs entered it.
She'd been locked in this closet shortly after her arrival when the Madame, drunk, attempted to punish a child for not getting her chores done on time. Kathryn had stepped in, taking the beating for her. Kathryn didn't have to be able to see herself to know that she had a bruise on her rib cage—she could feel it at each breath that she took.
The Madame seemed to take better care of her than usual, allowing her to be let out to use the toilet every day and eat every other day. The food she'd been getting wasn't as filling as the wheat roll. Watered down, soggy oatmeal with the consistency of vomit. Still, it was foodstuffs, and Kathryn knew better than to complain.
The walls shook as thundering footsteps could be felt, and Kathryn hastily swallowed her mouthful, her esophagus hurting slightly as it tried to stretch for the poorly chewed lump. She wrapped the remains of the bread and shoved it in a rat hole along the base line of the floor. As she heard the chain rattle and the lock break, she braced herself.
She jumped as the door opened, and the Madame reached down and grabbed a tuft of Kathryn's hair, jerking her to her feet.
Kathryn winced, but forced herself to remember the pain she'd experienced from the Cruciatus Curse. This pain really was nothing, compared to that.
The Madame dragged her out of the room and down the hallway to the showers.
"Someone was here to see you. Told him you were away. Said his name was Severus... something. I told him to return tomorrow." She hissed, explaining her taking Kathryn out of her prison off-schedule. She shoved Kathryn into the showers, and Kathryn wasted no time in stripping, still used to the routine.
Kathryn didn't wait for the water to heat, and quickly washed away the dirt and grimed from her body, hoping that the Madame didn't notice the small chunks of drywall in her hair. She grabbed the shampoo and conditioner and mixed the two, washing her curly brown hair.
She washed her body with the shampoo that washed off of her hair, trying to make sure that she got the most important parts. She inwardly smiled as she saw that there was a razor waiting for her. Even if it was a three-blade, one was better than none. She shaved her legs and armpits hastily, trying not to wince as the blade cut her shin.
She shut off the water just as it started to warm up, fearing that she'd taken too much time. The Madame didn't seem to notice, and Kathryn began to wonder how many drinks she'd had by this time.
She hastily dried herself with the towel that was hanging on the wall, and put her dirty clothes back on, much as she didn't want to. They only defeated the purpose of showering.
She was whisked out of the bathroom by her wrist, and thrown into a chair at a table with a bounty of food. She figured that it was the Madame's portion. She stared at it, slightly confused. She tried not to give the woman a skeptical look, and forced her eyes down at an empty plate before her.
"Eat. You're going to appear well if you are to see this… Severus, is that clear?" She commanded. Kathryn noticed the emphasis, and squinted, wondering if the food was poisoned.
"Yes ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." She said robotically, taking a slice of turkey and a wheat roll, roughly the same size as the oatmeal that she usually ate, wondering just how much she could get away with. The Madame sat down as well, dishing herself a portion fit for two.
"So, this Severus. You are schoolmates?" The woman began, staring at her while she ate. Kathryn slowly nodded.
"Yes, Ma'am." She admitted, trying not to look in the woman's eyes. She couldn't look at her heavily caked make-up face, or the long, thin, horse-teeth, or the striking pink lipstick, otherwise she'd lose her appetite, something that she couldn't afford at the moment.
"He is my Potions partner, Ma'am." She replied, stuffing another bite of turkey. She glanced down. She'd finished her plate. Forcing herself to look up at the woman, she cast a questioning look, glancing at the food. The woman slowly nodded, giving her permission to eat more. She gladly helped herself, dishing about the same portion as last time, despite being ravenously hungry.
The conversation that the woman made greatly unnerved her, and she wondered how long it would last.
"Potions… bloody bullshit." She scoffed, insulting Kathryn. Kathryn didn't retort, and shoved another bite in her mouth. The Madame downed a glass of red wine, and only then did Kathryn notice that there was a glass of water at her plate. She let it wait, saving it until later. Food, solid food was what she really needed to focus on getting right now.
"This Severus, are you attracted to him?" She asked. Kathryn paused slightly, fearing that the woman noticed, as she was still watching her like a hawk. Kathryn forced herself to shake her head no as her brain tried to calculate what she would do if Kathryn admitted that she cared for Severus.
"No, ma'am. He annoys me. He pines for me like a lost puppy." She lied, her chest hurting with the words she spoke. She swallowed a large bite to help loosen the knot of fear.
"These students, they are good to you?" She asked. Kathryn forced her hands to stay still while they held the knife and fork.
"I am an outcast. I am a half-blood… know-it-all." She forced herself to say, remembering Draco's description of her on the first day of school. The woman sneered at her over her glass of wine.
"This Severus boy, he seems taken with you, though. I can't see why. He must find you attractive… despite your pathetic self." The woman jeered. The words hurt, and Kathryn began to find herself wondering the same. Why would Severus care for her? She could hardly take care of herself, let alone fend off bullies at school.
"I admit, ma'am, I wonder the same. But, I don't deserve him. He deserves someone better than a… filthy mudblood." She mumbled, cutting herself down, partly for show, and partly because she began to feel that it was true. She began to drown in shame and sorrow, finding that she'd lost her appetite.
The Madame gave Kathryn a terrifying, toothy, malicious grin, which only meant that the evil gears in her head were spinning. Kathryn began to shiver slightly.
"A mudblood, huh? That'll be a new one to add to the board." She taunted. Kathryn forced herself to stop shivering and kept eating. She needed to keep her strength up.
She watched as the Madame downed another glass of wine, and found herself wishing, hoping, that the woman would forget the idea, but squished it. If she got her hopes up, she'd only let herself down. Most likely, she'd carve the message in before Kathryn left for school.
The woman snapped her fingers, an expression of remembering something on her face. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a letter. As Kathryn saw it, she recognized the seal of Hogwarts on the back of the envelope in wax, and to further terrify her, she saw it'd been broken.
"I received this a few days ago from one of your Professors at that bullshit school. A… Professor Draco Zabini-Malfoy." She drawled, scanning the letter for the name. Kathryn's eyes widened. That's where he'd been going the evening before she left. Had she known, she'd have tried to stop him. Her heart sank and her stomach churned in fear.
"He tells me that you've been assigned detention, and that you are to return early to serve it." She said with a sickeningly sweet (toxic to Kathryn's ears) voice, her eyes flashing.
Kathryn forced a nod.
"Yes, ma'am. I forgot, ma'am." She lied, hoping to God that Draco had not given her details about why he'd assigned her detention. The Madame set the letter down and refilled her glass and downed it. Her third from what Kathryn had seen. From here, it was a coaster ride to hell for the remainder of the evening. She stole a glance at the clock on the wall behind the Madame. It was only eight-thirty.
"What did you do?" She asked.
Kathryn's mind exploded with a billion lies, and before she could have a moment of hesitation, she forced the clearest lie to her lips.
"I blew up the potions classroom." She said, forcing another bite to her mouth. The Madame began to laugh. An evil, sick, twisted laugh. It echoed off of the empty room.
"And he assigned you a month of detention?" She asked incredulously. Kathryn slowly nodded, not realizing that he'd assigned that much. It must have been after she walked out the door. To be honest, she couldn't remember.
She also wasn't sure if the tone of voice the Madame had was because she didn't believe her lie (the worst possibility at this point) or if it was because she was pleased with the fact that Kathryn had received a month of detention for something so minuscule (which she hoped was the case).
"Professor hates children, but most of all, he hates mudbloods. If he could, he'd have me hanging by my wrists in the dungeons." She lied. The Madame laughed out of amusement.
"A man after my own heart." She chortled. Kathryn bit her tongue.
He is nothing like you, you sadistic bitch.
The woman stood and took her napkin off of her lap and set it on the plate, finishing another glass of red wine.
"You haven't finished your water, Kathryn." The woman stated, and at that point, Kathryn's suspicions were confirmed. She'd definitely poisoned it.
However, not wanting to cause trouble, Kathryn downed the remains of her water and shoveled the rest of the roll in her mouth, swallowing it down dryly. The woman grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to the room, throwing her in the closet and locking the door, slamming the door to the room behind her and locking it, too.
Kathryn's feet began to go numb, and she tapped immediately on the door, hoping that one of the children would hear it. A few seconds later, a tap sounded on the door, and Kathryn's heart lifted.
"Tell Austin to get me the bezoar stone, and quickly!" She hissed.
She listened, and tried to remain calm to slow the distribution of whatever poison had been in the water to the rest of her body. She felt her hands and feet go cold, and her legs wouldn't move when she tried to sit up.
The room darkened as someone jammed the stone through the window, and the stone clattered to the floor. Not caring if the Madame had heard it, she fished around for it as well. When she found it, she tried to pick it up, but her hands wouldn't listen.
She leaned down and opened her mouth, but her body fell numb, and she lolled her head against the ground.
No, no, no! She thought, sticking out her tongue. She maneuvered the stone against the curb of the wall and somehow shoved it in her mouth, breathing heavily as she collapsed, her body worn out from fighting.
She felt a warm sensation through her body, and then a chilling cold as she felt as though something were being pulled out of every cell in her body. The stone she had in her mouth felt like it was on fire, but she kept it there anyway, feeling that it would be over in a matter of seconds.
She sat up and spat the stone out with a 'pop', catching it in her hand. Relieved, she lied back against the wall, panting slightly. She lifted a weary arm and wiped away the sweat from her forehead, let her head fall back, and stuck the stone in her pocket. She'd smuggle it out when she woke in the morning.
Kathryn fell asleep with a smile on her face. Yet again, Death had tried to take her, and she'd bested the bastard…
Well... There it is.
Hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it didn't freak you out too badly.
Again, please review!