Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.

Chapter 14 Rock Bottom

Remus Lupin was at the dinner table. That almost struck Draco as much as the fact that Father wasn't present. He refused to have a meal with a werewolf. Draco was tempted to do the same.

Mother wasn't having it, and before he could flee, she grabbed him by his shoulders and steered him to his seat. Katherine smiled weakly and started eating. Well, she started pushing around her food to make it look like she was eating. She was thinner than usual, and Draco wondered if she was still grieving but didn't want him to know. Probably.

"Remus has been worried ever since…" Mother couldn't even finish it.

"You told him?" It was easier to be angry with her than face Lupin.

"I did." Katherine's eyes shined. "I miss you."

"I'm right here," he snapped.

"Katherine!" Mother cried softly as Katherine rose from her seat. She waited for Draco to say something, that he didn't mean it, but he merely rolled his eyes. She set him up and expected him to just sit there and take it! With an angry huff, Katherine left. Mother glared at him and followed her.

Lupin raised his eyebrows, and Draco waited for the fatherly lecture. Instead, he punished him in a different way. "You're a werewolf."

Draco stared. He didn't even want to confirm it with a rude retort like And? He sneered at the man. "Where's your wife, Lupin? Off with one of her lovers?"

"Perhaps," Lupin said calmly, making Draco jump in surprise. "You can't say it, can you?" Draco decided to ignore him and dig into his food. He heard Mother set up wards as she left, so he knew he wouldn't be leaving any time soon. "And I don't mean in anger or moments of self-disgust. I'll let you leave if you can say it, say it as if you were saying you have blonde hair."

"Can you?" Draco challenged. The man left his job at Hogwarts when everyone found out. If it wasn't the pot calling the kettle black.

"Not until recently," Lupin admitted. "Until I had Teddy."

As soon as the words left Lupin's mouth, the man paled. Draco felt rage boil inside him. "Unfortunately, I am not blessed with such a luxury."

Draco pointed his wand at the nearest doorframe so roughly that it cracked that surrounding walls as he broke down the wards. Lupin didn't go after him as he stomped off.

February

There were nearly a hundred people there, which was a lot for the wizarding world. Hermione knew half of them wanted to get back at the purebloods for the War, but she didn't care. They were here, protesting at an event she organized.

They were screaming, making demands for equality, holding signs that said FREEDOM!, and there was no fighting. The Ministry lobby was packed with reporters as they spread their message, and Hermione was in front of it all.

"You don't have a permit," a mousey man informed her. He reminded her of Percy before he properly grew up. "You d-do not have permission to protest here."

Hermione pointed her wand at her neck to amplify her voice. "WE ARE NOT BACKING DOWN!"

The crowd went wild. Hermione was put in handcuffs.

She was only in a Ministry holding cell for a few hours until Mum bailed her out. That wasn't part of the plan.

"Mum!" she hissed as they left. "I have a press conference for when I'm released in the morning!"

Mum looked awful, and Hermione suddenly noticed that she was covered in blood. "Your sister's in the hospital."

Hermione forgot about all of her plans. Kat needed her.

"You're sure?" Hermione said. At first, she was a little jealous that Percy got to handle Daphne and Ginny's case. Then he asked her to be second chair. They made love in his office whenever they made a breakthrough.

Kat sighed. "I can't be in that house anymore." Only she would think of Malfoy Manor as a house. "Draco looks like death warmed over, and the last thing I want to be reminded of is death right now."

Hermione glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "But if you testify, you'll break his heart. Look, I hate Malfoy. I think part of me always will, but… If you're happy with him, I don't want you to ruin it."

Kat pursed her lips, and for a moment, Hermione thought she was going to cry. Unfortunately, she was so tired of crying that she wouldn't let herself anymore. "I think, if he's listening, it'll prove to him how much I love him."

Percy wouldn't like it if she let an opportunity like this escape. They were fighting to have everyone equal in the eyes of the law, but after everything, Hermione was reluctant to risk her sister for anything. "If you're sure…"

Kat nodded. "I love my husband."

Although she acted like she was with Hermione, Kat wasn't sure about this, but she knew if she didn't that she would never have to courage to say it. Then, she and Draco would be in limbo for who knew how long. She wanted to move on. This first year was tough, but that didn't mean the rest of their lives had to be.

Draco was here but to support Daphne since her family didn't show up. Astoria wasn't allowed. He didn't even notice she was here until she sat down. At least a hundred pairs of eyes were on her, but it was his that were making her sweat.

"Why are you here, Ms. Potter?" the Ministry's attorney asked dryly. He had a strange nose that reminded Kat of a toucan's beak. "Your marriage seems to be going well."

If only he knew… He circled her like a shark. Kat watched him for a moment before speaking. "Better than I thought it would be," she joked. No one laughed, and it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Someone coughed awkwardly. "But I think it would be better if there wasn't a marriage contract."

"Do you love your husband?" the man asked. What was his name again? Kat nodded while she tried to think of it. "Then I don't see the problem."

He started to walk away, and Kat was so embarrassed that she almost left it at that. She couldn't move. She was starting to choke. "But I don't think he knows that I do. I'm afraid that he'll never believe me."

The attorney stopped and turned around reluctantly. "And that's the Ministry's fault?"

His tone implied that it was hers. Kat looked at her hands, which she was twisting in her lap. In a way, it was her fault. "I think that if we weren't forced into marriage, we would've had more time—"

"But your mother arranged the contract," the attorney pressed. "The Ministry does not force anyone to make them."

"But I couldn't say no." Kat kept her eyes on Draco, silently screaming at him not to leave. "I feel like we started off bad, and I'm worried he thinks I don't love him when I do. Because our marriage wasn't based on love. It was based on a deal. One that we didn't even make."

"You wouldn't be with him if it wasn't for the contract would you?" the attorney asked. "The man you love so much? So much so that you want to embarrass him in front of the entire country?"

"I'm not trying to embarrass him!" Kat yelled. "I want him to know that I love him because he won't listen to me! Yes, he would have to have the courage to let me know how he feels but… but what if thinks I don't love him? He won't talk to me. But I'm afraid he'll always have doubts, that I'm there because I have to be. We can't move past anything if there's always doubt…"

Kat gave up when Draco got up and left. She answered the rest of the little maggot's questions robotically. Ever since that night that Remus came over, she couldn't stop thinking about how Draco thought she felt about him. He needed to know that she loved him and that they could get through this. She could only hope that she got through to him.

Kat started working for Lucius fulltime. She did overtime whenever she could, and once and a while, even slept in the office. In a few weeks it would be her eighteenth birthday, something she wasn't looking forward to. Hopefully everyone would ignore it.

Things were going great at the firm. At least Kat could pretend to be happy somewhere. Her secretary was a sweet little old lady, and she found herself smiling genuinely for the first time in a while when they had a party for her 80th birthday.

All her employees loved her. Well, not the janitors, but that was because she was a downright slob. She'd just give them a nice Christmas bonus or something. It wasn't her fault a family of mice took up residence in her desk... She was saving that cake for a bad day!

"How was I supposed to know mice loved chocolate?" Kat muttered to herself as she slid her letter opener across a letter that her owl just plopped on her desk. She'd worry about the poop it left behind later and most certainly wouldn't forget about it. Not this time anyway.

Hey Kat,

Turns out, Gran had been refusing to pay her taxes since my dad died because, and I quote, "The Ministry is full of Death Eater scum." She could use some help. Well… I could use some help paying her taxes for her.

Could you help me out? I haven't the first clue about this stuff. She wouldn't last in Azkaban. I could only imagine what sort of trouble she would get in for driving the dementors mad.

I have some other news as well, but I could just send the paperwork in if you don't want to see me.

Thanks for not tearing up the letter at the sight of my handwriting,

Neville

Kat chewed on her lip and quickly stuffed the letter in her drawer with the cake and locked it. The mice would get to live another day, she supposed. She couldn't let Lucius know she was helping out Neville. If she was going to help out Neville.

Who was she kidding? Neville was always so kind and so understanding. She couldn't say no. Lucius hardly worked anyway and simply enjoyed raking in the profits. He would never know.

"I'm trying to put together a potion to help Kat and Draco," Lily said over dinner. James figured as much. Her nose had been buried in a book more often than not lately. Hell, she had one in her lap right now. "But I'm afraid it'll drastically lower his sperm count."

"Ugh!" Now that was just taking things too far. James pushed his plate away. "I'm eating! The last thing I want to hear about is Draco Malfoy dumping a less than fertile load into our daughter!"

"James!" Lily yelled as if he were the perverted one. The cruel woman laughed at his disgust. "I want to help them. I think their marriage is falling apart."

"Their marriage is always falling apart," James grumbled. That didn't mean a perfectly good steak had to suffer and not be eaten! "They're seventeen. Let them work through it without using a baby to cover up the problem."

Lily grinned. "So you're saying I shouldn't ask for a sample to examine?"

"No!" He was married to a horrible, horrible woman. "You're going to carry that to the lab? With your own hands?"

"Unless you're going to be a gentlemen and take it yourself," Lily joked. She laughed loudly when he started making retching noises. Once he was done making a spectacle, she grew serious. "I'd want someone to help us have more children if they could have."

James sighed. Stupid Lily and her constant need to make everything better. "Fine. Go ahead, ask Draco to rub one off. I'm sure he'll be glad to."

Lily rolled her eyes and then asked a house elf to bring him a vanilla milkshake with whipped cream. James abandoned his steak. He was married to the devil.

Ginevra didn't know they were here. Daphne absolutely hated putting all their business into the court system, but she didn't want her girlfriend to know. Ginevra preferred to hide, and this ordeal was tough enough for her as it was. Daphne didn't want to make it worse.

Draco had to leave the Manor. His and Katherine's first anniversary was coming up, and they barely spoke. Although they were true, he was deeply hurt by her words in the court. Her saying that she loved him didn't do anything to make him feel better. She was just saying she wished they had a chance, a real chance but…

They were in a Muggle club. It was dark except for the strobe lights, and Draco hated it even after having a few drinks in him. There was a reason he didn't drink. Unlike Daphne or Katherine, alcohol didn't help him forget his emotions. It only amplified them.

But he was nicely dressed, polite, and not slobbering over all the women like some of the other patrons. It didn't take long for someone to seek him out.

She had black hair. That was about it when it came to a resemblance, but Draco was so drunk that he could make himself pretend that it was Katherine. A Katherine who could genuinely smile out him without hurt in her eyes.

"Let's go somewhere more private," she whispered seductively. Like a zombie, Draco followed.

But she wasn't Katherine. For anyone else, it wouldn't be a bad thing. Her hair was smoother. She was a bit older, a bit more together. Something about her was sweeter. As soon as she leaned in to kiss him, Draco, in his drunken state, burst into tears.

She pulled away and left before finding out what was wrong. She didn't even say a word. With a disgusted face, she was gone. Maybe she wasn't so different from Katherine all along.

Draco woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. He groaned but was too weak to turn his head when the sunlight peaked through the curtains and landed on his face. The last thing he could remember was comparing the nameless woman to Katherine.

It wasn't exactly fair. Katherine, for all her lack of communication skills, did want to help him. She had to force herself to say it under oath, but she loved him. He just didn't want to help himself. He had to stop expecting people to spoon feed him. If he wanted something, he had to get it.

"I'm seeing Luna." Neville's words shocked Kat, which made her feel like a horrible person. She couldn't expect Neville to be single for the rest of his life. "I-I wanted you to know."

"Oh." Kat forced herself to smile. There was no reason for her to be hurt by this. She loved Draco. "I'm, er, happy for you."

Neville smiled in a way that told her he understood. "She's much less annoying than you," he joked. "But in a good way," he added, as if that could possibly be a bad thing. "Thank you, for, well, everything."

"I should be the one thanking you," Kat muttered. She would probably only seem him occasionally at parties now. It would be weird not relying on him when things got tough. "I think I would have thrown myself off the Astronomy Tower if it wasn't for you."

"I wouldn't have been able to kill Voldemort if it wasn't for you," Neville said honestly. "You were always there when I wanted to give up."

Kat took a deep breath and because she knew she would regret it if she didn't, hugged him tightly. "Goodbye, Neville."

Draco needed to talk to Katherine. Okay, fine. He needed to talk to Katherine for a long time now, but last night really made him pull his head out of his ass. What she said at the hearing was right. He loved her and needed to show her that he loved her without any strings attached. Not because they were forced into marriage, not because he was a werewolf and couldn't be with anyone else. He finally had to show her that he had the courage to truly be married to her.

So he found himself awkwardly walking through the halls of the accounting firm that his father bought for him and that was now Katherine's refuge. No one really looked his way except for a few secretaries who offered him coffee. Father must not do much around here.

He was politely given directions to Katherine's office, so he supposed everyone liked it that way. He wondered if it wasn't for being infamous from the War if anyone would recognize him.

Katherine's office had a modern look to it. The walls were windows, and the first thing Draco noticed was a rubbish bin by the door that was overflowing with candy wrappers. He almost smiled, but the next thing he noticed was Longbottom hugging Katherine tightly.

He apparated home before she could see him.

Thank you Ern Estine 13624, Child of Dreams, and gr8rockstarrox for reviewing!

Things will finally start looking up next chapter! Do you think Remus should try to talk to Draco again?

I posted my final idea for the next Draco/Kat story on Katherine the Great, so make sure to check that out! Hopefully I managed to get the poll up…