Chapter 28 – Boldly going nowhere
Friday 27th September
"Potter you can't keep your eyes closed forever," said Bella, gripping her wand tightly in her hand. Harry had been most uncooperative these past five days despite her best efforts to make him talk. Even the best of Riddle's hexes had only made him scream – she'd be having words with that girl – smug ones. It seemed there were some people that even the infamous Katherine Riddle couldn't crack – not that she'd tried. On Tuesday she'd asked Julian to see if he could track her down and he'd come back a couple of hours later saying she was busy with work.
Bella stared musingly down Harry who was sitting huddled in a corner, eyes staying resolutely shut. It seemed he'd found a way round being a failed Occlumens; Bella might have been impressed if she hadn't needed to get into his mind so urgently.
The handle of the door turned and a black haired man with amber eyes poked his head around the door.
"What?" snapped Bella irritably. Julian arched an eyebrow at her, face as impassive as his cousin's.
"He's coming."
Behind her, she heard Harry move slightly and glanced around to see him shut his eyes hurriedly. Bella laughed, crouching down to his level.
"Scared, Potter? You should be."
Julian frowned and observed quietly: "He's not tied up."
"No," agreed Bella. "But it's not as though he can move, either."
Julian cast an eye over the pitiful form cowering in the corner and almost felt sorry for him. He didn't even want to know what Bella and the McKenzies had done to him this past week. If truth be told, he was surprised the kid was still alive.
Then, just as Bella stood up, turning to face him, the boy opened his eyes and looked straight at Julian with piercing green eyes. Julian almost blanched – there was something inhuman about that stare; it wasn't accusatory or pleading, it was just...blank. A look that tore straight through your defenses and saw inside your soul.
"...is it?"
Julian visibly jumped and looked hastily over at Bella. "What?"
"I said what is it?" said Bella slowly, glancing back at Harry, who had shut his eyes again. "You look as though you'd seen a ghost."
"It's nothing," said Julian, with all the indifference he could manage, his mind racing. No Gryffindor had eyes like that, the only person who'd ever given him a look like that was... "I have to get back to work," he said, trying not to sound anxious to get away. Bella raised her eyebrows.
"Bit late to be working, isn't it?"
"Avery usually does nights, but he took the day off," shrugged Julian. "Think he was taking his daughter to the zoo or something."
"How sweet," muttered Bella, rolling her eyes. "When will his Lordship arrive?"
"About half an hour," said Julian, eyes sliding over to Harry again, but the boy remained stationary, the only sign of life the gentle movement of his chest as he breathed. He really needed to get a grip on himself – he had nothing to feel guilty about. It wasn't as though he'd sworn to her not to hurt Potter or anything, though he hadn't, he realised. He hadn't been near him all week, but that was just coincidence...wasn't it? He shook his head, bade farewell to Bella and debating whether he should warn her about Katherine's threat and wondering for the umpteenth time that week why on earth she hadn't carried though with it yet.
Left alone with Harry in the small stone room, Bella smiled to herself. Riddle didn't control everyone, after all. It was only when she heard Harry stir behind her that Bella realised she'd spoken aloud. She whipped round and met emerald green eyes gazing up at her. Grinning, she cast the Legilimens skill in the hope of catching him off guard and...hit a wall. Literally.
The resulting thump brought Alex McKenzie running, wand in hand, wild red hair flying behind her.
"What happened?" she asked breathlessly, staring from Harry's miserable form to Bella, lying prostrate on the ground.
"Snape said you couldn't do Occlumency to save your life," said Bella softly, staring at Harry. Alex frowned, then cast a confused glance over her shoulder.
"Is Julian here?"
"Just left," muttered Bella, picking herself up and rubbing her arm where she'd smacked into the wall. She'd get Snape for that later – the boy was obviously an advanced level Occlumens – how else would he have the power to throw a fully grown woman across a room when she'd barely even scraped the surface of his mind.
"But Jamie's out tonight," said Alex, and Bella caught the unease in her voice.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, tearing her gaze away from Harry and frowning at her companion.
"I just thought I heard-" began Alex but a low growl cut across her words and she stood, frozen to the spot, not daring to finish the sentence. Bella's eyes widened and she hissed: "Shut the door!" but Alex couldn't, or wouldn't, move.
Then, above the snarling in the corridor, Bella heard something else. Thud, clunk, thud, clunk, thud, clunk... There was someone with the wolf – someone with...a wooden leg? The footsteps stopped and the snarling dwindle, replaced by the hushed noise of something sniffing the air and then...silence. A minute ticked by, seconds dragging into hours and still nothing happened.
Bella crept over to the door and was about to push it shut, when curiosity got the better of her. She peered round it and met the electric blue eye and disfigured face of Alastor Moody, and crouching in front of him, posed ready to pounce, a grey brown wolf, lips drawn back in a silent snarl.
Hurriedly, she slammed the door shut, but met with thirteen stone of flesh and sinew coming the other way. The door held for a fraction of a second, then rocketed backwards, sending Bella flying for the second time in as many minutes and the wolf tumbled into the room, a fully fledged growl reverberating in the back of its throat.
Alex stood flat against the wall, trembling from head to foot as the wolf wheeled around, backing the two women into a corner. Behind it, the door, which had swung closed again after hitting the wall, opened and Mad Eye Moody walked in calmly, disarming them both easily.
"Wouldn't do you much good against a werewolf anyway," he said gruffly, turning to Harry and helping him to his feet. Bella glared furiously at him, too angry to speak. How dare he just walk in and...and...and just saunter off with her ticket back into the Dark Lord's inner circle?
Moody put an arm under Potter's, supporting him and whistled to the wolf which was still snarling softly. Unwillingly, the wolf retreated with him, padding lightly out of the room and disappearing into the corridor. As soon as it had left, Bella darted across the room, trying to reach the door before it shut, but didn't make it. The sound of a lock clicking echoed in the small room and Moody's voice, muffled by six inches of solid steel, floated back to her.
"Send my regards to your master."
Bella screamed with fury as the flap in the door that she herself had modified to allow food to be pushed through, swung open and two halves of wands were pushed through. Alex, still leaning against the wall, stared down at them in shock.
"He broke my wand..."
Bella barely heard her, glaring down at the polished wooden stick that was what remained of her own wand. Someone was going to pay for this and she had the nasty feeling it was going to be her.
In the back of a dark car with blacked out windows and white leather seats, a wolf, a boy and a man sat in exhausted silence as, outside, trees and country lanes flashed past. The car was doing well over 50mph but the driver didn't seem to care – the quicker they were away from that place, the better, and no was quite sure what happened if you tried to portkey a transformed werewolf.
"Dawlish will have my job for this if he ever finds out," the driver muttered at last, casting a quick glance in her rear view mirror to check they weren't being followed; they weren't. Still, as Remus had pointed out, no one was expecting them to use muggle transport. From the back, the wolf whined and she smiled. "That's not the point."
An unpleasant squelching noise told her that 'Mad Eye' had removed his fake eye. "Are you sure no one noticed it wasn't moving?" she asked, risking a glance over her shoulder.
A vague look of surprise greeted her question. "She didn't. It's called the weapon effect," remarked Moody in a distinctly un-Moodyish voice. "Everyone's so busy concentrating on the weapon, in this case our dear furry friend here–" the wolf gave a low growl "– that they barely even register anything else."
"Right," she said slowly, then, searching for a topic which she knew she couldn't be tripped up on, asked: "Remus, are you sure your friend won't mind us borrowing his car?"
"He's a she," said a female voice quietly. "And no she doesn't. She's just thanking high heaven she's alive at present."
Tonks almost crashed the car in her shock and had to fight to keep control of the wheel. She slammed on the brakes, turning into the skid as she'd always been told to and at last bringing the car to a halt at the side of the road. She sat still for a moment, then twisted round and stared at the place where Harry had been sitting.
"You?" she asked incredulously. The black haired woman cast a sideways glance at Moody for help.
"We told her it was a Manes," he explained simply. Katherine cocked her head to one side and looked back at Tonks.
"You believed something he said?" she asked, jerking her thumb at Moody.
"I believed Remus," said Tonks hotly, glaring at the wolf who was doing its best to look innocent. Katherine smiled crookedly, reaching out a hand to scratch behind his ear.
"Never trust a Slytherin, never believe a Marauder," she said cheerfully. "Isn't that right, Moony?"
The wolf made a noise of agreement, sticking its head in her lap. Something like jealously flashed across Tonks face; it was gone in an instant, but Katherine caught it and smiled gently. She stopped scratching Moony's ear and flicked him on the nose instead. Moony flinched back, staring up at her out of large brown eyes that only served to amplify his hurt expression.
"Don't lie to your girlfriend," Katherine admonished. "It only leads to trouble."
Moony tilted his head slightly and gazed up at her with an expression that seemed out of place to Tonks after Katherine's words. It was almost...curiosity?
Beside her, Moody peered out of the window, and Tonks noticed wisps of blond hair where grey had been a moment before; the Polyjuice was obviously wearing off.
"We really had better be going. My wife's going to wonder where I am," he said softly.
Tonks jumped, then nodded hurriedly, turning back round to the wheel and starting the ignition. Ten minutes later, they dropped a now fully restored Robert Avery off near St James' park and Tonks looked over at Katherine and saw to her surprise that she was asleep. Moony wasn't however, so she posed her question to him.
"Where to now?"
x – X – x
Remus awoke the next morning, in human form once more, to find a thick woolen blanket laid across him. He twisted round to look at the sofa that Katherine had fallen asleep on almost as soon as they'd arrived and frowned when he saw she wasn't there. He sat up, wincing as his sore muscles protested and pulled the blanket around him, wondering if Tonks had remembered to leave him some clothes.
The noise of a door closing somewhere in the house made him look up and a moment later Katherine appeared in the doorway, holding two steaming mugs of tea. She smiled as he wrapped the blanket round himself and sat on the sofa, accepting one mug.
"Did you, um-?" he asked awkwardly, gesturing to the blanket and she grinned.
"You haven't got anything I haven't seen before, Rem," she said calmly, mischief glinting in her eyes. Remus pulled a face and she laughed. "Oh don't worry – you were still a wolf when I put it on you." At his questioning glance she shrugged. "I woke up about 5am; needed a drink. How are you feeling anyway?"
"About the same as usual," answered Remus, embarrassment assuaged for the present. He sipped the tea and studied her face with clear brown eyes. "How about you?"
"Fine," smiled Katherine. "Throat's a bit sore, but a good night's sleep can cure everything."
"Your throat's sore?" asked Remus, staring at her in bewilderment.
"From screaming," filled in Katherine, looking surprisingly cheerful about this.
"With pain?"
"No, just screaming. I figured Bella would get suspicious otherwise," answered Katherine, wrapping her hands around the mug and shifting her position on the sofa to get more comfortable. Remus waited for her to continue, but she just smiled vaguely at him and gazed thoughtfully into her cup of tea.
"You're not going to explain, are you?" he said eventually, sighing heavily; Katherine just grinned at him. "Well I'm glad you're ok, at any rate," he added, pulling the blanket up around his shoulders.
"So am I," said Katherine softly, gazing at him, vivid blue eyes serious for once. "Thank you."
"What are friends for?" shrugged Remus, smiling slightly.
"Yeah, well, I owe you one," she said quietly, tucking a stray stand of hair behind her ear absently. Remus just shook his head – the amount of times she'd saved his life, and she thought she was the one that owed him. "Tonks is nice," she said quietly, disturbing Remus' reverie.
"What?"
"Tonks - your girlfriend, remember?"
"Of course I remember," said Remus, frowning. "You like her?"
Katherine shrugged noncommittally. "She seems to really like you. I'm willing to give her a chance." She half smiled, a playful light glinting in her bright eyes. "Still stand by what I said though."
"That I look old enough to be her grandfather?"
Katherine laughed, almost spilling her tea. "No – but you do; we really need to get you some new robes – and no, I'm not taking no for an answer," she added, as Remus started to protest. Remus made a dubious noise but let it go for the moment.
"But?"
Katherine grinned. "But if she hurts you, I will kill her."
Remus was about to admonish her, but a knock on the door stopped him in his tracks and his half smile turned to a frown. Who on earth was that? Tonks had dropped them off at an old Order hideout that no one really used much anymore since the place it had been set up to watch had burned down over six months ago.
Katherine caught his expression and set her half empty cup of tea on the floor and crossed the room to the window, peering out through grimy net curtains.
"Who is it?" asked Remus quietly and Katherine shrugged.
"No one there." She turned back to him as a knock sounded again. "Unless they're invisible," she added, picking up a pile of clothes from a chair and tossing them at him. "They're invisible, aren't they?"
Remus shrugged, pulling on a shirt. "Probab- Oh no."
"What?" asked Katherine, looking worried. "Why 'oh no'?"
Remus didn't answer her as she peered out of the window again, squinting over at the door to the small bungalow. He stood up, fully dressed now, and went into the hall to answer the door, Katherine following but careful to hang back in the shadows.
"Good morning, Harry," said Remus softly when he'd opened the door. "And to what do we owe this pleasure?"
A moment later, a mess of black hair and a bespectacled face appeared out of thin air as Harry stepped inside, pulling off the invisibility cloak.
"We? So Katherine is here, then?"
Remus grimaced, noticing his mistake too late and Katherine stepped out of the shadows, frowning at Harry but remained silent. Remus looked from one to the other, trying to work out what he was missing. He frowned suddenly running Harry's words over in his head. Since when had he started calling her by her first name?
"Is it true?" demanded Harry, green eyes blazing and Remus thought, not for the first time, how like Lily he looked at times like these.
"Is what true?" asked Katherine, with an ease that told Remus that this was not the first conversation she'd had with Harry. Something was definitely going on here...
Harry held up a photograph and Remus recognised it as the one Harry had taken from his flat the first time he'd met Katherine – the one of the Marauders, Lily & Katherine that Peter had taken during their final trip on the Hogwarts Express. The one which showed Sirius with Katherine. Oh. He'd realised.
Katherine sighed heavily, leaning against the wall and gazing wistfully at the photograph.
"Perhaps not the place, but the time?" she asked softly, raising her eyes to meet Harry's fierce gaze.
"You were with him?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I fancied him," shrugged Katherine. "And because he didn't care."
Harry frowned at this. "He didn't care?"
"That I was a Slytherin," clarified Katherine. "I think his precise words were 'I couldn't give a rat's a-'"
"Yes we get the idea, Kat," interrupted Remus hurriedly. Katherine arched an eyebrow at him.
"Well he did ask."
"So what happened?" asked Harry, determinedly to get as many answers as possible before Remus stepped in.
"Azkaban happened," said Katherine soberly. "I got arrested, he got arrested, I died, he escaped, I escaped but thought he was dead, then he died." She smiled sourly. "Ironic, really. I tried to visit Grimmauld Place a couple of weeks after I got out but couldn't get into it. He was a wall's width away and I never even knew."
"Would you have got back with him if you'd met?" asked Harry, his anger subsiding a very little. Katherine looked almost surprised.
"Potter, we never broke up."
"Yeah, but you'd been apart for so long," said Harry and Katherine smiled wanly.
"Yeah, in the same prison. It wasn't as though we could hook up with anyone else, was it? He didn't fall for anyone else, did he, Rem? Remus?"
Remus glanced up at her, seeming not to have heard her question. "That can't be right, Kat."
Katherine frowned slightly. "What can't? He could have fallen-"
"Sirius died over a year ago," said Remus quietly, looking oddly at her. "And you only broke out last month."
