A/N i don't own anything etc you know how this works. Please review if you are left with any impression whatsoever. I'd love the feedback.

Chapter 13

It was happening again. Once more Kat was held aloft above a great battle field as the sun rose. She saw that the combatants far below were not arranged neatly into sides like Simon used to arrange his toy soldiers, nor were they in trenches like the soldiers her teacher had taught her about. They swarmed and ran across the plain, caught in little eddies of movement as they engaged each other one on one. Rather than one great struggle it was a stewing pot of a thousand small fights. Flashes of light and swooping figures told her that this was no muggle war but a magical battle. That was if she had not guessed as much from the large figures she assumed were giants.

There was a peal of thunder in the air and once again she fell like a lightning bolt to earth, she cringed and flung her arms out in a futile attempt forestall the fatal judgement of the solid earth. She did not hit the ground this time instead she stopped an inch from the surface and stepped down to earth and looked around. Shadowy figures glanced her way and continued fighting their opponents. She turned to take in the swirling dancing figures in the low light. She heard no sound this time and was relieved as the memory of those screams and cries had haunted her dreams. As she turned she saw a figure that wasn't fighting. Harry stood there looking at her. He was Harry but not Harry, he was taller and older than the Harry she knew and in his eyes burned a fire that chilled her marrow. He roared like a wild animal leapt forward a silver sword appearing in his hand and struck at her. She didn't know how she dodged the blow but she rolled away and came up holding a blade of her own, curved and wickedly sharp it seemed to give off an aura of death. Before she could wonder where it came from she was parrying a thrust from Harry who span and cut down towards her head. She stepped to the side and sliced sideways as she turned. Her blade slipped under his blade and opened a shallow slice in his side. He howled in pain and brought a powerful blow down towards her head, knocking the sword from her grasp and sending her tumbling into the blood soaked soil. He raised his sword to finish her his eyes aflame and completely lacking in mercy or friendship. He looked vindicated like an avenging angel from the fields of punishment. As he raised his sword back to strike Kat's hand closed around something hard and cold and she gripped it and plunged it into his thigh as he stood over her. He fell on top of her screaming in pain at the barb in his leg. He brought his sword round still prostrate on her, his weight pressing her further into the slime. She wrestled with him as he attempted to press the edge into her jugular. A thin trickle of warm liquid flowed down her skin. The hand which held the barb was still trapped beneath his leg. She pulled hard and felt the icy burn of the sword cut deeper as he rocked with her movement. The barb was free and with all her strength she drove it under his arm and into his body with a sickening noise. She rolled him off as he convulsed and knelt beside him unable to look away from the green eyes that stared back at her. Blood trickled from his mouth as he gasped, "Why Katherine? We were friends." And with the word friends a last bubble of blood flowed from his gaping maw and the light left his eyes. The sound of the battlefield had returned with her stabbing her friend, the screams and moans and terrifying clashes overwhelmed her mind and she felt like she was drowning staring still into the dead green eyes.

Kat woke with a start screaming at the memory of the dream. She stopped abruptly when she realised where she was or rather that she did not recognise her surroundings at all. She was on a hard wooden floor made of dusty planks unevenly nailed down. The walls and ceiling were the same she saw looking around the room. It was completely devoid of furniture apart from a small circular window in the wall to her left and the wall behind her was set with iron rings at short intervals. She tried to stand up but couldn't reach the floor with her hands. They were restrained behind her stopping her from standing or moving forward. She turned and twisted until she saw her hands were tied to one of the iron rings by a strip of fabric.

A loud banging came from the wall in front of her like a heavy person or persons stomping down a short flight of stairs. She heard a sharp rap on the wall and the wooden planks shuffled to the side revealing a doorway. Kat shrank backwards at the sight of the figure that stepped into the room. He was a giant of a man, standing easily over six-foot while stooping through the low doorway. He had lank greasy hair falling across his face and an unkempt goatee which did little to hide the four livid scars which ran from eyebrow to chin across the ruin of his face. He had wide flared nostrils and small eyes with gleaming yellow iris'. He stepped towards her unsteadily and she realised the slight motion of the floor was not in her imagination. A leer stretched the scars on his face and showed a set of brown cracked teeth. He stretched out a long nailed finger and stroked her cheek while chuckling as the tiny girl flinched away from his touch as best she could.

"Uh uh uh, Alrick. Remember no touching." A second smaller man walked into the room and stood beside the first. He looked Caribbean with dark skin and dreadlocks. His clothing betrayed him as a wizard. Kat wondered who else would wear a frock coat and dungarees.

"Don't see why not." The big man spoke in a deep gravelly voice, stretching out a hand towards Kat again. "wos I wot found 'er. Why can't I 'ave a bit of fun?"

"Maybe because you aren't going to pay us ten thousand galleons for her."

"Smells so good, just a little taste, I won't leave any marks." The large one Alrick took a strand of her hair and sniffed it.

"Five thousand galleons or one quick taste, which do you want?" The second man crossed his arms and looked at his larger companion. Alrick took another deep sniff before stomping past the other and out of the room.

"Apologies miss, my associate has few manners." Dreadlocks, conjured a stool and perched on it regarding her. His hand slipped into his frock coat and came back with a wand that was instantly familiar to her. He twirled it in his hand and conjured a small violet at the tip which he placed behind her ear. "Matches your eyes." He smiled showing white teeth filed to points. "Nice wand", he said looking back down at it. "The thing is…Veela don't use wands. My canine friend assures me that you are Veela." He began to pace while speaking and twirled her wand through his fingers skilfully. "That uniform looks like an Hogwarts one and Veela don't go to school…" He lapsed into silence as he approached the small circular window or porthole as she was now fairly sure they were on some sort of boat.

"What do you want with me?" Kat finally spoke her voice small and quiet from disuse and her now quite parched throat.

"Well that's the golden question ain't it." He said turning back to look at her with another toothy smile. "You see miss if I could be sure you're a Veela then I don't want anything from you. I just want you to sit here nice and quiet like while we pop over the channel and sell you to a buyer of exotic passtimes." He staggered towards her and couched down in front of her staring into her eyes. "However if you aren't a Veela then we will return you to your parents…for a fee of course for finding their beloved daughter and saving her from whatever nasty creatures would have had her for a meal."

"I don't know what a Veela is." Kat gulped as his hand strayed towards her throat.

"Funny that. That's what the last one said, but she was prettier than you." He suddenly reached forward and grabbed the collar of her school shirt, her mum had stitched name tags into everything she took to Hogwarts. "Katherine Edwards" He read the curly script and released her collar. "Doesn't sound very Veelaish." He patted her cheek and his grin widened. "Don't worry your pretty little head I know a guy who can sort this all out for us. Now get some sleep we'll be there soon." He stood up and put her wand back inside his frock coat before giving her a jaunty bow and staggering across the roiling floorboards to the door. "Bubbye." He called as the planks reshuffled to form unbroken wall behind him.

"Well Albus? What did they say?"

Dumbledore looked up at his deputy headmistress who stood silhouetted in the front gate by the castle's golden glow. She looked grim and a little tired standing there waiting for his return from the forest.

"The centaurs gave me a lead which may prove useful but may come to nothing." He climbed the steps and headed towards his offices, McGonagall trailing in his wake. They passed a couple of prefects he recognised as one of the Weasley's and miss Clearwater a promising charms student according to her head of house. They both nodded to the two teachers and continued on their rounds. McGonagall exchanged words with them but Dumbledore continued walking. Upon arriving in his office he immediately took one of the two armchairs by the fire and stroked Fawkes who had alighted on the arm.

"Well Minerva our plans are in ruins." Dumbledore continued to gaze into the fire as his deputy took the chair across from him.

"Your plans Albus, do not forget I opposed you using the stone as bait for the dark lord. Now look where it has left us, poor Quirrell dead in a most horrid fashion and miss Edward's taken." She spoke reasonably quietly but the barely noticeable tremor in her voice gave her away.

"We'll find her Minerva."

"I hope you're right, I don't think I could face Jack and Audrey if we don't before the train arrives at Kings Cross in three days. What did the Centaurs say?"

"Apparently a pack of were-wolves were passing through that night, they may have found her. I've already sent Severus and Flitwick to talk to my contacts among the packs I suspect we'll know more by tomorr –"

Dumbledore was interrupted by a little silver bell on one of the instruments on his shelves.

"Excuse me Minerva it appears a student desperately wishes to speak to me."

A wave of his hand revealed a startled Hermione Granger, her left hand raised to knock the opened door and her right hand supporting a tawny owl with a somewhat bemused set to its beak and eyes.

"Professor Dumbledore I'm sorry to barge in like this but I've worked out how we can find Kat!" Hermione recovered her composure quickly and rushed into the office. So focused was she on her idea she completely failed to notice her head of house sitting in the other chair.

"Miss Granger slow down and explain yourself." McGonagall had an inkling of what she was about to say.

"I thought that you could put a tracking charm on her owl and send it to her." Hermione looked down at her feet peeking out from under her robes a little embarrassed at having barged into the headmaster's office and clearly interrupting a meeting between himself and the deputy head. She had rushed straight from the common room to the owlery upon thinking of the idea and now chided herself that she could think of something the great Dumbledore did not and then barging into his office with her silly notions. Cheeks glowing pink she glanced up through her fringe at the headmaster who was leaning forward out of his armchair and staring intensely at her. His sparkling blue eyes met her brown and he seemed to be reaching into her thoughts with the intensity of his stare.

"That is brilliant miss Granger, is that miss Edwards's owl?" He stood and held out his arm as she nodded. She passed him Rodney and he stroked its feathers softly murmuring to it. His wand appeared as if by magic in his hand and he waved it over the Owl three times. "Go, fly on swift wings and find your mistress." Rodney hooted and flew out of an open window and into the darkening sky.

"Well miss Granger I suggest you go get some sleep I promise to alert you and mister Potter if we have any more information." McGonagall stood and motioned Hermione towards the door. She knew that Hermione and Kat had gotten closer this past term and she correctly guessed Hermione wanted to stay up and find out if Rodney found her.

"Yes miss Granger get some rest we'll know more soon."

Bang!

"Good mornin' girly. Did ye sleep well?"

Kat's eyes shot open and found herself face to face or rather face to boot with the larger of her captives. The one called Alrick who she was beginning to suspect was a were-wolf.

"No, well that's a right shame." He reached down and grabbed her by the collar in his enormous hands and hoisted her up to eye level. She gasped in pain as her already sore shoulders were wrenched by the chain attached to her wrists. "You've got a visitor coming so you need a wash and to look er presentable." He grinned at her and she had to look away in disgust from his teeth and his breath which smelled metallic like raw meat.

He dropped her laughing and stomped across the room to the open doorway and up the stairs. He walked much more steadily but she could still detect a gentle rocking so she guessed the weather was calmer outside. She steeled herself and yanked on the chain a little causing daggers of pain to lance in her wrists and shoulders. The ring was budging a little after nearly a hundred attempts but she doubted she would get free before they reached their destination.

She had to put off any further thought of escape when dreadlocks returned with another man she hadn't seen before. Dreadlocks had accessorized his dungarees with a lime green frock coat today and was once more twirling her wand between thumb and forefinger. The other man was dressed much more normally for a wizard in a three piece suit and a pinstripe cloak and bowler hat. He had a thin black moustache and goatee with high cheek bones and dark eyes. He was had an ageless appearance with few lines on his face but a quality that suggested he was quite old. Kat guessed he could be anywhere from early thirties to late fifties. He raised a black eyebrow after stepping into the cabin and looking at her. He had a wooden cane with a silver dog head for a handle which he prodded her in the neck with and tilted her head up to look at him. He pursed his lips and turned his head to the side before turning to dreadlocks.

"Well she isn't a Veela-"

"Yes she is!"

"- she's half tops," he continued in a high cold voice with a distinct French accent but perfect English pronunciation. "Although she hasn't undergone her change yet so it's impossible to know how much of the Veela has bled down." He looked at her contemplatively before stooping down and staring at her chest.

"So half-veela that's five g's right?" Dreadlocks asked nervously, shifting uncomfortably. This brought a bark of laughter from the man who had just brushed her blonde hair off the Gryffindor badge on her school jumper.

"Five G? You effing moron! You think I'd pay you five G for this half veela brat?" He snarled at dreadlocks and stood up his face right in the other man. "I'd be doing you an effing favour taking her off your hands."

"Why's that?" Alrick growled from the doorway, he had come down the stairs very quietly considering he normally stomped around like a cave troll. Their guest straightened up taking in the imposing size of the new arrival.

"Why? That's why!" He turned and pointed at her uniform with his cane. "You moron's snatched her from Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore the greatest wizard in the world is going to be looking for her. If you two don't lose her soon you're going to get nice long stays in Azkaban. You think that I want let alone will pay to have that kind of heat? You two are dummer than you look. And that's saying something." Alrick growled and placed a hand on the large bowie knife thrust in his belt but dreadlocks placed a restraining hand on Alrick's shoulder and turned to look at the buyer.

"Alright, let it never be said that Epimetheus Maxwell couldn't compromise." Dreadlocks grinned and spread his arms. "I understand," He said bowing his head and attempting to look magnanimous rather than arrogant, "that there is perhaps a larger than usual amount of inconvenience attached to this particular merchandise but I still think we can do a deal. Chrysus how about three thousand? I'll even throw in transportation to your pens."

"One thousand five hundred. Don't be stupid and try to haggle you won't last long enough to find another buyer and I'm not going to raise my offer. If that's all you gentleman want to waste my time on I'll take my leave."

"Hold up there we'll agree to your deal but you have to take her now." Chrysus turned and looked at Maxwell sceptically. Then he took the offered hand and shook. "It's a deal." He grinned like a shark all teeth and no smile before pulling out a pocket book and conjuring a quill with his wand. Both Maxwell and Chrysus signed it before slapping each other on the back.

Suddenly a ball of red and brown feathers came hurtling through the door way and stopped before Kat.

"Rodney?" She said in disbelief at the owl which had alighted on her knee and looked at her expectantly for a treat.

"What the eff is this." Maxwell exclaimed. All three men stiffened when they heard a large crack from above.

McGonagall skimmed the Daily Prophet's sport section's coverage of the rumour the Ireland chaser Paddy Mullet was on his way to her team the Montrose Magpies with a sceptical eye when she heard Dumbledore gasp beside her at the breakfast table. The glazed expression on his face did not last long and he sprung into action immediately.

"Minerva floo the French ambassador immediately! Severus, Filius with me." He stepped back from the table and conjured a piece of rope with his wand before waving his wand and making it glow briefly blue. "Now if you please Minerva I would rather not start a war."

McGonagall ran to the closest fire place in the great hall and promptly stuck her head up it. "French embassy in London, Edouard Delacour." She looked out and saw a pair of black and white spats by a large mahogany desk. "Edouard, I'm sorry to disturb you but there's no time to explain I need permission for an international portkey to France, it's for Albus to rescue a kidnapped student.

The shocked man with a small goatee and pronounced laughter lines leapt to his feet and crouched down by the fire, recognizing the face of his mother's old friend. "Of course Minerve." He said in his heavily accented English. "Tell Dumbleedore. That I will authorise it, but Minerve, I expect you to call me back and tell me why I am doing dis for you."

McGonagall pulled her head out of the fire-place and nodded to Dumbledore who counted down 'three-two-one' and with a bang he and Snape and Flitwick disappeared. Pomona Sprout hurried over to McGonagall to ask if Dumbledore had located Kat, but McGonagall had already stuck her head back into the still open connection.

As soon as Rodney's arrival was followed by the large noise from outside Chrysus disapparated leaving Alrick and Maxwell staring at each other in shock.

"Bugger" Alrick managed before two cracks produced Snape and Flitwick. Snape had his wand to the throat of Alrick while Flitwick was smirking while pointing his wand at Maxwell's crotch. Dumbledore swept into the room and went straight to Kat.

"Are you alright Miss Edward's? Did they hurt you." Cat managed to sob out a negative as all the tears she'd felt like crying in the past few days came pouring out in relief that she had been saved. Dumbledore flicked his wand releasing her from the chains and helped her stand up. He reached over and took the light grey wand from Maxwell's jacket and handed to Katherine who held it tightly to her chest as if afraid someone would take it away again and leave her defenceless once more.

"Severus, Filius I will escort Katherine back to Hogwarts, I suggest you wait for the Gendarmes to arrive, they shouldn't be long. He steered Katherine through the door and out onto the deck of what turned out to be a small yacht with dirty white deck and a tatty blue sail. Before Dumbledore could stop her she suddenly broke free of his arm and ran towards a pile of rubbish including food tins and old newspapers at the side of the deck. Before Dumbledore could question her she had bent down and picked up a very familiar shimmering cloak. "Ah, right then Katherine hold on to that, while Mr Potter will I;m sure be more happy to see you again it would be a shame if he was not reunited with his father's cloak. Now hold onto this length of rope and don't let go of your owl, we're going back via portkey. You know what a portkey is?"

"Yes sir." She gulped and took hold of the rope. "Don't let go Rodney." She whispered to her owl just as they were whisked away. Barely had they left than four wizards in dark blue robes with silver fleur de lis on their breasts apparated onto the boat. They wouldn't receive very satisfactory responses from the two Hogwarts professors however Maxwell and Alrick had multiple crimes to answer for in France alone and they were glad enough to take the wanted men without asking too many questions of what had happened.

"A student was kidnapped and we have recovered her, these are the kidnappers thankyou for your assistance." Flitwick said before disappearing. Snape sneered before he two disapparated with a soft crack. The gendarmes looked at each other before turning their wands on the two convicts.

"You know Alrick." Maxwell muttered out of the side of his mouth. "If we get out of this remind me to get an honest job."

A/N review please, hope you're all having a pleasant week.