Kit was staring at the pile of parchment on her table, eyes wide open and bloodshot. She'd stayed up the whole night finishing her homework. Rose had helped her with the Potions labs, but she was finally done. She would never have to open another textbook in her life. The idea almost made her cry with joy. She was finally done. She was free now. She was out of school. She was relived, of course, but a little worried. She had to do something with her life now. She wasn't a student anymore, she was expected to get a job, have kids, get married. Granted, she was halfway through the last one, but it was still a lot to think about. People had graduated from Hogwarts to become great Aurors, teachers, healers. They were some of the best in England, if not the world. And now she had to live up to that. She had to live up to what her parents expected of her.

Her parents.

Kit jumped up and grabbed a handful of Floo powder, feeling like a complete idiot. She dove for the fireplace without shouting goodbye to James and just hoped she'd remembered the address correctly.

"Mum?" she called, taking a cautious step out of the fireplace. Tori's head popped out from the kitchen, a smile spreading across her face.

"About time you came here. We have not heard from you since you come back from..." Tori trailed off, tears in her eyes as she gathered daughter in her arms. "We were so worried, Kit. Your father was... angry. I am just so glad you are safe. You and Rose are safe now." Kit hugged her mom back, enjoying the familiar feeling and smell of her. She felt at home again, relaxed.

"Tori?" Luka strode in and upon seeing his daughter put a hand over his mouth. "Katherine," he rushed over and scooped her up. Kit felt like a child again, able to just rely on her parents to hold her and make everything better. He led her to the couch and sat her down before facing her, his arms crossed.

"Child, don't you ever dare to do something so dangerous again, to scare us like that again."

"Dad, I'm sorry."

"You should be, I have never been so worried in my life. To see you at those meetings, to know what he'd made you do..."

"Dad, I'm sorry. I broke. I couldn't do it," Kit felt a familiar guilt wash through her and sting her eyes. She'd disappointed him and that hurt more than anything. "I let you down. I just couldn't do it."

Luka's anger dissipated and he sat beside his daughter, wiping the tears from her cheek. "Katherine, your uncle and I were much older than you were when we had to face him."

"You said you were seventeen,"

"That's when we could have left. Misha and I tried to leave, but it wasn't what he wanted. I gave in that week. And we would keep trying to leave. We would remember ourselves one night and vow to not go back. But we'd be dragged in the next day and I would give in by that night." Luka shook his head and ran his fingers through her hair. "Katherine, you could never disappoint me. You are so strong, you kept true until you didn't have a choice. I am worried for you, but proud. I've never been more proud of you."

"Why?" Kit asked.

"Because you found yourself again. He has a way of making you doubt everything you thought you knew about who you were. But you found yourself again, your friends wouldn't let you get away." Luka took her hand in both of his. "I should apologize to you. I am sorry, Kit. I never wanted you to be brought into this. I never wanted Rose or James or any of your friends to be brought into this mess. I am so sorry."

"Dad," Kit managed before holding him tightly.

"Katherine, what are you wearing?" Tori asked and grabbed her daughter's hand. She inspected the ring on her finger and gasped.

"James proposed." Kit couldn't help but smile. It was a watery smile, tears still damp on her lashes, but she was smiling. Tori squealed and started babbling in Russian that Kit couldn't understand. Luka just stared past her, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Dad?"

"Oh, you're grown up now, aren't you?" he smiled sadly as he hugged her again. It was hard to see his little girl growing up too quickly.

Kit smiled at her parents and spent the rest of the day with them, telling them everything that had happened. She'd cried more than she would ever admit, but her parents were there to comfort her every step of the way. She told them that Rose was pregnant and that it was due in February of the following year. And they smiled and wished her the best. They promised they would visit and see Rose through her pregnancy and pass the good news onto Rose's parents. They hadn't seen them for a few months but they knew how to reach them.

"There's one more thing." Kit said, hoping her parents would agree. "Dumbledore has gotten a group together, some of the best wizards and witches in the whole United Kingdom. It's a resistance again the Dark Lord called the Order of the Phoenix. James, Sirius, Peter, Remus, Rosie and I are all members. I would love it if you would come to a meeting. Even if you can't become members, I just want to to know that there are more people fighting against him than you might think."

"We would be honoured to come. If he needs any help, we are happy to assist. Get us before the next meeting."

"I will," Kit gave them a smile. The Order was going to be stronger with them.


Kit finally made it home, feeling content with the world. She'd seen her parents, talked to her family and everything seemed right. Until she walked out into her foyer and saw the sea of flowers spread across the hall.

"Rose, what the hell?" Kit picked one up and showed it to her cousin. "I'm not opposed to flowers, I just don't like the idea of living in a freakin' greenhouse." Her voice was met by an upturned nose and a little huff.

"Tell Sirius that flowers aren't going to make me come back." Rose didn't even look at Kit, instead sat flipping through her book. Kit stared at her in disbelief to no avail. Giving up, Kit threw her arms up and Apparated to Sirius's flat.

"You really thought roses were going to cut it?" Kit asked.

"Huh?"

"Intelligent," Kit muttered and tossed a bouquet at the Romeo. "And Rose says that flowers won't make her come back."

"I thought they were sweet," he frowned at the pretty arrangement in thought.

"It's a stupid gift. They die and it takes no thought of effort to get them."

"Well, tell Rosie that I thought about them for a long time and she'd better get back here if she knows what's good for her." Sirius gave a grave nod and went back to the radio. What was with people today? Kit thought to herself as she Apparated right back to her house.

"He says that he thought long and hard about them and that you should go back if you know what's good for you."

" 'Know what is good for me!' That little...oof!" Rose plopped back onto the couch and pouted. "Tell him he is a prick, as you say and that...I'll...I'll leave him!"

Kit shrugged and related the news to Sirius when she popped into his living room.

"Leave me! The hell she will! You tell her that I won't have any of it and that if she's not back by tonight I'll drag her back myself."

Kit didn't know why she was still playing the part of an owl for the two of them. It was interesting in a cruel way, hearing them up the stakes as they got angrier and angrier. However, the novelty of it wore off after an hour of popping between the two houses. Finally, after Sirius had suggested a rather creative way of murdering Rose, James caught her.

"What have you been doing all night? I haven't seen you since this morning."

"I went to my parents house. By the way, the say congratulations and about time about the engagement. And I've been playing owl for the lovebirds for the past hour." She growled an obscenity at the blonde sitting in her living room as James pulled her further away. "We don't fight that often, do we?"

James stopped dead and gave her a look. One brow pointed so far up that it disappeared into his fringe.

"What?"

James chuckled and walked away, shaking his head.

"What? We do not fight. We don't. James Potter, tell me we do not fight!" Kit crossed her arms at him from the end of the hall. James, smiling to himself, walked over, uncrossed her arms and wrapped them around his neck.

"We don't fight." He placed his hands on her back. "We have spirited debates, which, I would like to point out, often end in me getting hurt."

Kit, gasped at him in shock and smacked the back of his head.

"See, violence. Why I agreed to marry you is beyond me some days."

"Oh, bugger off, Casanova." Kit giggled. They walked down to the end of the hall and stopped in the study.

"This came for you today." James picked up an envelope and passed it to. She tore it open, using the letter opener he'd bought her. He watched warily as she once again examined the little knife.

"I still don't know if getting that for you was such a great idea." For added effect, Kit threw it at him. "Merlin!" James leapt away when it clattered onto the table beside his hand.

"Damn, I missed." Kit winked at him before turning back to the letter. She recognized the writing and smiled at the parchment. Dumbledore had heard that she'd finally finished her coursework and wanted to see it. He asked if they could meet at Hogwarts. She jumped up and stuck her head into the fireplace.

"Hello? Professor?" Kit asked, looking around his office from the fireplace. A moment later, his beard trailed across the floor and Kit was face to face with her old Headmaster.

"Katherine, what a pleasant surprise."

"Is now a good time? To talk?"

"Now would be just perfect. If you could bring your work." He nodded and stepped back. Kit walked into his room, a stack of papers under her arm.

"I must say, it is a relief to finally have all the work in." He gave her a quick look from over his glasses.

"They've all been waiting on me to finish up so they can graduate. Sorry."

"It's understandable that it's taken so long. I must say, I'm surprised that you all got the work done. Mr Black, especially."

"He's got Rose breathing down his neck now. I can't believe they, of all people, have a kid on the way." Kit shook her head and followed him down into the empty halls of the school.

"Give them both my congratulations, in that case. I hope that Miss Morozov doesn't overwork herself at the Order meetings."

"I'll keep her in line, sir." She smiled at him as they walked to the familiar door and Dumbledore knocked twice.

"Yes, Albus?" McGonagall answered the door and gave a little start when she saw Kit. "And Katherine. Come in," she held the door open and followed the two up to her desk. Signalled by a nod, Kit put her work on the table.

"I was hoping you could help me mark Miss Ruskova's work. As I understand, her friends are anxious to graduate."

"I should think so." Professor McGonagall said in her most prim voice. Kit gave a meek apology, shrinking back slightly. It didn't matter that she was graduated now, but the memory of drunkenly informing her head of house that the Gryffindor team had handed Hufflepuff their own ass never left her mind. She'd never gotten in trouble for it but she suspected that the woman never thought of her in the same way after that night. She was thankful when Albus said that he wished to speak with Katherine privately.

"As I'm sure you know, the Order is gaining power, but we need to start gathering more information. I already have a few people I can go to, but I wish to make one thing clear. Under no circumstances are you to ever attend a Death Eater meeting. All of your safety is at the forefront of my mind and I cannot see any way of keeping you safe if you agree to go undercover."

Kit couldn't help but smile at her old Headmaster. Despite seeming like he was so far removed from their lives, he knew them all so well. Kit wanted to go undercover with every fibre of her being. To be able to get at the people who'd just sat back while she'd been drawn in, all the people who'd ruined her life. But Albus knew her too well.

"There are things you can do. We need people to be protected, we need information from certain wizards, from the Ministry." He took a breath, almost dreading what he had to say next. "There will be battles to be fought, in which I'm certain Mister Black and Mister Potter will be quite overzealous. And I'm also certain there is no way to keep you away from those fights, however I must stress that while I told you that you would have to risk your life, I do not want to see you do it lightly. You and your family are destine for great things and I would hate to see that potential cut short."

Kit couldn't shake the feeling that he knew something she didn't know. Of course, he knew more than she knew, he was Albus Dumbledore and Kit realized that she would probably never know what he knew.

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think we're going to win?" Kit stood and looked out onto the grounds she'd grown up on. She could see where she'd punched Regulus and broken his nose, she could just see the shimmer of the lake where she spent that one night almost freezing to death.

"I believe that light always conquers the dark. The fight might be long, and many may be lost, but I believe that we will."

"That's good." Was all Kit could think of to say. The thought of losing any of them was nearly unbearable but at least she could see that glimmer of hope at the end. She looked across at Albus. If she could put blind faith in him? To what end could lives to taken for "a good cause?"

Kit shook her head, unable to continue that thought. She trusted him with her life and she had to believe that he would do what was right.


When Kit got home, a stack of bridal magazines were spread across her table. "What in the..." Kit looked up to see Rose circling various dresses and ripping the pages out. "Rosie?"

"Kit! I was just thinking about wedding."

"I can see that. When are James and I getting married?"

"In the fall," she said, as if it was perfectly fine that she had planned the date of their wedding.

"I see. Hon, I really think you should fix things up with Sirius."

"We did. Now, what kind of dress do you want?"

"What? Oh, I, um... a long one?"


There it is. Next chapter I will be up to date with what I've written.

Thanks for reading,

Dahlia