Chapter 13

A Surprise Summons

1 November 1976

"Miss Potter."

It was Monday morning. I was on my way to breakfast with the guys and who should call my name but Professor McGonagall herself. James and Sirius immediately began heckling me.

"What did you do this time, Kate?"

"Me?" I rounded on James. "What did you do?"

"Kate, please, when is the last time I didn't take credit for something?"

"About once a week since first year," Peter said.

"True," James agreed. "But I swear to you, this time, it wasn't me."

I turned to Sirius.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that. What sort of person do you take me for? Hush, Peter."

"Kate, I wouldn't make McGonagall wait much longer if I were you," Remus said.

"Moony's right. She looks especially cross this morning," Peter said.

"With hast please, Miss Potter!"

Indeed she did look especially cross, which made me wonder all the more what she could want with me. I hurried over to where she stood.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Come with me," she said before briskly walking away.

I looked over my shoulder at the guys again. They all seemed to have genuine looks of concern. Except for Remus, who did his best to smile encouragingly at me.

I trailed behind Professor McGonagall as we passed through the corridor; everyone moved out of our way. The worst part about not knowing why I was being called was all the looks and shameful sneers I received from my peers. They naturally presumed that I had done something terribly wrong to be summoned before breakfast. But I knew I hadn't done anything. I couldn't have…

The only thing I could think of was that it had something to do with the transfiguration assignment we'd turned in on Friday. To my knowledge though, no student had ever been summoned before breakfast to discuss a poor assignment.

The setup of Professor McGonagall's office was the same as it had been the night of the attack. And like that night, she motioned for me to sit in a plush chair while she took up residence behind her desk.

"Would you care for some breakfast, Miss Potter? Perhaps some toast and jam?" she asked.

"Um, yes please," I replied.

"Anything to drink?"

"Pumpkin juice?"

Professor McGonagall relayed the order to what appeared to just be an old book. Seconds later, however, a silver platter appeared on her desk with toast, various jams, and a pitcher of pumpkin juice. Professor McGonagall indicated that I should help myself. I was still unsure what was going on, but I was hungry. I grabbed a slice of toast and spread my favorite jam over it while Professor McGonagall poured me a glass of juice.

"Blackberry? That's always been a favorite of mine too," she said.

"James and Fleamont think it's too bitter, but Euphemia likes it."

As I took a bite of my toast, Professor McGonagall fell quiet. It was clear something was weighing on her mind. I was no longer so certain that this meeting had anything to do with an assignment. I was proven right when she finally did speak.

"I'm not sure there is any delicate what to say this, Miss Potter, so I'll just say it. There was another attack last night during the Halloween Feast."

I paused mid bite and returned my toast to my plate. Breathing deep I repeated her words.

"There was another attack?"

"Yes. A fourth year, a Miss Ruth Sieber."

"Sieber? I'm not sure I know her, but the name sounds familiar for some reason."

"I'm not sure you would know her; she's a Hufflepuff. Perhaps you are more familiar with an Ella Jones?"

"Ella? That's Emma's little sister. Was she attacked too?"

"Fortunately no, but Miss Jones is friends with Miss Sieber; she stumbled upon the attack while it was in progress. She helped break it up."

"Oh. I see."

"Miss Sieber's account shares some similarities with your own," she continued. "Most prominently that there appeared to be multiple assailants who caught her while she was alone on the grounds. They used silenceo on her as well to keep her from calling for help. She is in the hospital wing now recovering. She was fortunate to have Miss Jones come looking for her or her injuries could have been more severe."

"Did they…were they…" I couldn't finish my question but she seemed to gather what I was trying to ask.

"No. It appears that they did not. Though they tore some of her clothes and shredded her robes, she said they made no attempt to go further."

I didn't realize I was crying until Professor McGonagall handed me a tissue. I knew I should be feeling something for Miss Sieber's attack, but I was only re-living the pain and fear of my own attack.

"Since there has now been more than one attack, there will be a meeting with all girls fourth year and older in the Great Hall immediately following dinner. We won't share specific details, just enough to make everyone aware of the situation."

I nodded my head. It made since to tell everyone now, and I was glad that my name wouldn't be mentioned. I was still uncertain as to why I had been summoned and told in private of the attack. Perhaps it was just to warn me of the meeting, but when I said as much, Professor McGonagall refuted that possibility.

"It is of the belief of Professor Dumbledore and myself that both you and Miss Sieber would benefit from meeting together, alone, to talk of your shared experience."

Wait… What?

"You want me to meet with Ruth Sieber to… talk about our attacks?"

Professor McGonagall didn't seem to appreciate my questioning tone, but she refrained from rebuking me.

"It is widely known," she began, "that talking about a tragic event with someone who can relate aids in the healing process. We ask that you will help Miss Sieber in her healing. You have had your own tragedies in life to strengthen you. She has had none. And you may find that by helping her, you have helped yourself. You do not need to give me an answer now, but please consider it."

"Is that all, Professor?"

Professor McGonagall sighed and nodded her head. I excused myself without finishing breakfast.

I left Professor McGonagall's office in a daze. I couldn't believe she and the Headmaster wanted me to talk to Ruth Sieber about what happened. I wasn't even sure what we were supposed to talk about. Were we to compare their methods of attack or share the way they smelled? It was ridiculous! Furthermore, how was talking about it supposed to help? Talking about it meant thinking about it, and I'd spent the better part of the last month trying not to think about it.

As I made my way through the corridors, I was in a deep distraction. I took no notice of my surroundings. It's not surprising that I ran into someone.

"Watch where you're going, Gryffindor."

"Oh, sorry…" Without looking at who I bumped, I bent down to help pick up the books that had fallen. But they were quickly ripped from my fingers.

"Don't touch my things!"

"I was only trying to help…Oh. It's you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. It means nothing, Snape." Of all the people to run into, it had to be the one person who hated James the most: Severus Snape.

"What did you do to my books?"

I sighed. "I didn't do anything to them."

"Did Potter put you up to this?"

"Paranoia doesn't suit you, Snape. Or maybe it does. I don't really know and I don't really care. Now, I said I was sorry for bumping into you, so if you don't mind…"

"Is this brave little Gryffindor giving you trouble, Severus?" A dark and cold voice asked, sending a chill down my spine. It wasn't so much what he had said; it was how he said it that made my skin crawl.

From behind my back stepped another Slytherin and one of Snape's friends, Avery. I knew that if Avery was here, then the rest of his gang wasn't too far behind. Sure enough, Mulciber and Rosier stepped around me to flank Avery and Snape.

"Well if she is, we know how to deal with her kind," Rosier said.

Mulciber didn't say anything, but the way he looked at me was unnerving. I knew what he did to Mary MacDonald last year. I tried to hold my ground and not show fear, but with Professor McGonagall's news and the fear of my attack so fresh on my mind, I was finding it hard to breathe.

"Get away from her!" James suddenly called out.

Moments later, he and Sirius stepped in front of me; Peter and Remus were on either side of them. All four had their wands drawn. They exchanged words; I was too focused on trying to breathe to catch everything they said. However, I knew a fight would break out soon if someone didn't stop them.

"James, don't." I placed my hand over his wand. He looked sideways at me briefly. "They're not worth getting a detention for. Besides, it was my fault anyways. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I said I was sorry…"

"'Sorry' is just a word," Snape spat.

"One that apparently isn't in your limited dictionary," I fired back. "Come on, James. Let's go." With my hand still on his I forced his wand down and pulled him away. The others slowly followed suit. I pulled James down the corridor and around several turns before stopping.

"Why did you do that, Kate?" James asked, finally pulling his hand from mine.

"Because Filch was coming," I lied. "And because I had something more important to tell you."

"Is this about why McGonagall called you away?" Peter asked. I nodded.

"Well, don't keep us waiting," Sirius said.

"I need my books first." I suddenly wanted to put off telling them about my meeting.

"Oh, here," Remus said, handing over my books. "I asked Lily to grab them for me. I hope you don't mind."

"No, no…Thanks." I tapped my fingers on my books.

"Well…"

"There was another attack last night." I blurted out. Professor McGonagall was right; there was no delicate way to say it. There was a silent pause as they took in the information.

"Any—anyone we know?" Remus asked.

I shrugged. "I don't think so. It was a fourth year Hufflepuff: Ruth Sieber. They, Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster that is, they think it was the same people that attacked me. There were certain similarities. We were both alone, both silenced…among other things."

I paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Her attack was broken up though, by Ella Jones."

"Ella? As in Emma's little sister Ella?" James asked.

I nodded. "There's going to be a meeting after dinner with all the fourth year and older girls. That's…that's not all though. Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster want…they want me to talk to Ruth."

There was another silent pause before Sirius spoke. "Wow. So, when are you going to do it?"

"You can't be…you're joking. You're as mad as the professors if you think I'd actually talk to her," I said.

"But I thought…"

"You thought? You didn't think anything, Sirius. You have no idea what it was like or what I've had to live through each night since. I can't bear to think about it. How the hell am I supposed to talk about it?"

It was deathly silent. I'd had my disagreements with the guys in the past, but I've never raised my voice with them like that before. James began running his hand back and forth through his hair. Sirius looked as though he was biting his tongue not to say something. Peter's eyes were flickering between all of us at such a speed that I thought they'd fall out. I made it a point not to look at Remus.

"Honestly, Kate, I don't think you have a choice," Remus tempted bravely.

I slowly brought my eyes over to him. His words sounded like a lack of support, and they hurt. But when I looked at him I could tell how much it hurt him to say it.

"You're right, Kate. We don't know, we couldn't possibly know what it was like for you. Just as her friends can't possibly know what it was like for her. You are the only one who can remotely relate to what she's been through. After my attack, I would have given anything to have been able to talk to someone who knew what it was like, someone who could tell me what to expect. But I had to suffer it alone. You don't have to do that, Kate, and you shouldn't make Ruth do it either."

There was an immense silence following Remus' remarks. None of us dared move or speak a word. The silence spread the length of the hall as the whole castle seemed to wait with bated breath. My eyes never left Remus', or his mine.

"Will you five be joining us for class? Or shall I inform Mr. Filch to expect you in Saturday's detention?" Professor McGonagall's words cut through the air like a slicing charm.

I tore my eyes away from Remus with great effort and pushed my way past the guys without a word.

XXX

I didn't say a word in class; I just did the assignment given to us. When class was over I fled to the dorms and stayed there until charms class that afternoon, skipping lunch and my free periods in between. Just like a cat, I sometimes preferred my solitude. The guys knew enough to know not to bother me when I did.

I was lost and confused as to what I should do. Leaving Professor McGonagall's office that morning things couldn't have been clearer, but now…

I was scared. I'd never been a fan of Snape's friends, but they'd never unhinged me like that before. The way Mulciber had stared at me, or the way Rosier said "her kind" it was terrifying. I tried shoving the whole encounter into the far recesses of my mind, but it lingered in the forefront.

Lastly, and mostly, I was ashamed. We'd been friends since first year, and Remus never spoke of his attack. To hear him do so today, and in the way he had, left me feeling guilt ridden. I wondered, could I have the same courage?

I didn't get out of charms as quickly as I had transfiguration, probably because all I'd had to eat were a few bites of toast that morning. As such, I was actually among the last to leave. James was still trying to give me the space I needed, and he had Quidditch to get to. So the guys left before I did.

I kept to the inner edge of the corridor, ready to jump into my desired secret passage. Before I could duck inside it however, someone pulled me in. I would have cried out, but there were only a few people who knew I preferred this passage to others. The entrance was small so once inside I was met with a very familiar scent. I lit the tip of my wand with a silent lumos, I was getting quite good at silent spell casting, and looked up into the eyes of Remus.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi."

"Thanks for not screaming." He attempted a smile.

"Yes, well, there are better ways of going about getting me alone."

"Right, but honestly, I didn't think you'd come if I asked."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you're mad at me."

"I'm not…" I began, but I didn't want to lie so I said, "I don't know what I am, Remus."

"Well, are you hungry?"

On cue my stomach gurgled. "You had to say something."

Remus smiled. "I knew you skipped lunch and I imagine you didn't each much this morning. Come on."

Remus took my hand in his and led me further down the passage. His fingers entwining with mine began to fight through my gloom and bring a small smile to my lips. We didn't take the usual turn towards the dorms, but continued on straight. After going down a small flight of stairs we came up behind a large tapestry. Remus poked his head out before we shot across the hall to an empty room.

"Funny, this doesn't look like the Great Hall," I said. Remus only grinned.

"Oh, Binky," he called. A moment later there was a 'pop' and one of the kitchen house-elves appeared before us.

"Oh, Master Lupin, how can Binky serve you today?"

Binky had a distinct fondness for Remus since third year for some reason. She doted on him whenever he visited the kitchens. And now, apparently she was making house calls.

"Actually, Binky, I was hoping you might help my friend, Miss Potter, by bringing her something to eat."

"Binky will serve any friend of Master Lupin's." The house-elf turned her attention and her big wide eyes to me as she waited for my request.

"Umm, steak and kidney pie? Please. With pumpkin juice to drink. And…" I paused not wanting to ask for too much.

"Go on, don't be shy now," Remus encouraged; my stomach agreed with him.

"And some roasted potatoes. Oh! And a helping of glazed carrots. Those are really quite good."

"And for Master Lupin?" Binky asked.

"None for me thanks."

"Hang on a minute. I'm not eating alone."

Remus' smile widened at my declaration. "Very well then. I'll have the same, and bring two slices of chocolate cake too, please." Oh how I loved chocolate cake.

The house-elf nodded and disappeared with another 'pop.' Left alone, Remus turned his attention back to me.

"Well, now, if we're going to do this then we 'ought to do it properly," he said.

Remus looked around the room for a moment before pushing together two desks. He conjured up a make shift table cloth using one of the old window drapes and cleaned it. Satisfied with his work he held out his hand to me.

"Miss Potter, will you join me for dinner?"