Friends in the Forest
Oliver had been confused for a while after he regained consciousness. He had had troubles focusing on his classes, and once he felt better, he started to freak out as the exams were approaching. One evening, Kate heard him argue with Percy. Wood was asking for help and Percy kept saying he had no time to help him because he had too much work on his own. Oliver tried to convince the older Weasley for a moment, to no avail. Out of frustration, he overthrew the table on which Percy was working and walked away. Kate stood up and followed him.
- 'Oliver,' she shouted, the boy turned around. 'What's up?' she asked when she joined him.
- 'After the accident, I missed a lot of information in class, it was all foggy. I need help to get over this. Percy is the best student in my year, but he doesn't want to help. I'm going to fail my exams,' he explained, a hint of panic in his voice. 'I don't want to start over this year because of Flint.'
- 'Try to calm down,' Kate answered softly. 'I can help you with the three classes I'm reviewing with Dumbledore. For what other classes do you need help?'
- 'Care of Magical Creatures, Potions and Ancient Runes. Divination is anyway easier if your brain is foggy, and History of Magic is only knowledge, all is in the book.'
- 'I know they are older, but don't Oakley and Ainsworth have some of these classes and could help you with them? I mean, they're part of the team, they were super worried for you, maybe they would be happy to help you.'
- 'That's worth trying, I guess,' he sighed. 'When do you have time to help me?'
- 'After dinner in the week or any time during the weekend. As you want, I just need to know so I can organise myself to have time enough for everything.'
- 'Would tomorrow after dinner be all right to start?'
- 'Sure. Is it fine for you if Fred and George are also there? Fred has to practice as well, with his elbow he couldn't do much after the game either.'
- 'Yeah, no problem. You really think I can ask Oakley or Ainsworth?'
- 'Yes, I do. Look at Ainsworth, he wonders what's up and if there's a way he can help you. Go.'
- 'All right,' he breathed before going.
Kate joined Fred and George beside the fireplace, telling them that Oliver would work with them after dinner the next day. The twins were happy, saying they'd probably learn more advanced magic with him. Half an hour later, Oliver joined them.
- 'Ainsworth agreed to help me, and we talked a bit. I think I should thank you, Kate,' he said.
- 'Why?'
- 'I told you after I woke up I was going around in a foggy world for a while. I didn't really realise what happened. He just told me that you took care of my injury on the pitch already, making sure I wouldn't get more hurt, that you also tried to protect the team and that you helped Madam Pomfrey when I was in the Hospital Wing. So I should thank you, for taking care of me, of Fred, and also for helping us during the match so we don't get more injuries. I know you think using legilimency during a game is cheating, so –'
- 'Using it like this is not cheating for me. They were – in my opinion – cheating by waiting for Madam Hooch to look somewhere else to attack you. I had to do something. I didn't use legili-mency to try to make you win, only to keep you as safe as possible. I think it's fine.'
- 'All right. Anyway, thank you.'
- 'You don't have to thank me, I can't stand what is unfair. I hope that won't be like that next year.'
Oliver smiled.
- 'We're lucky to have you in our House. You're great.'
- 'That's a nice way to say I'm weird and annoying,' Kate chuckled. 'Thank you Oliver.'
- 'You're not weird Kate,' said Fred.
- 'At least not weirder than us,' smiled George.
- 'That's debatable,' she smiled. 'I don't think any of you has visions, or can go inside people's mind.'
- 'True, but we're twins, that makes us weird for most people.'
- 'Not for you of course, but for all the others,' finished George.
- 'And your fondness for detention might make you seem weird as well…. Sometimes it feels like you want to break a record,' Oliver said.
- 'Any way, exams start in three weeks, I should work harder,' said Kate. 'I'll send Charlie potions tomorrow, I made more so he can wait until July for the refill. I'll work every day, anyone who needs help in Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration can ask me.'
Kate spent even more time than usual working in the last weeks before the exams, but this time mainly for her classes. Even Fred and George were somehow more serious, they didn't exceed one detention per week. Oliver was joining them twice a week to review what he couldn't learn after his concussion. Percy had been kind enough to make a list of what they had learned in Charms, Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts after the quidditch game. It wasn't a problem for Kate, she was definitely ready for her O.W.L.s. The first evening, the quidditch captain was really anxious, but he relaxed quickly when he saw how well the young witch was mastering all of this.
Although Fred and George were supposed to work on their classes, Kate noticed that they kept trying every charm or spell she was teaching Oliver. She started to wonder why they had so much troubles behaving in class. They obviously enjoyed learning new spells, they loved challen-ges, just like when they started working on non-verbal spells in the beginning of the year. Maybe classes were not offering them enough difficulties to overcome.
On a Thursday evening, as they were preparing to leave for the Common Room, the twins' attention was caught by something outside. They were standing at the window, looking with a mix of interest and worries.
- 'What are you looking at?' asked Kate.
- 'There's strange movements in the Forest,' Fred said.
- 'It's the second time this week.'
- 'And it happened once last week as well.'
- 'Look, something seems to burn, there's smoke coming out of the Forest.'
Kate joined them at the window. It looked like a fight was taking place. She immediately thought of the fight she had with Firenze against Acromantulas. Were the spiders trying to attack Centaurs again?
- 'Do you remember if it already happened before last week?' she asked.
- 'I don't think,' answered George.
- 'I have to find out what's happening,' she mumbled.
- 'Kate, I have to tell you something, and it's really weird coming from me,' Fred said, 'but you take your History of Magic exam tomorrow.'
- 'It's the exam you're the least sure you will get good results at, it's better if you don't spend the night in the Forest, really,' continued George.
The agitation under the trees started to calm down,
- 'Maybe you're right,' she said, closing her eyes.
Just like when she went to the Forest to talk with Firenze, she focused on him, asking if he and his herd were doing okay. She received a positive feeling. It was quite different to communicate with a Centaur in that fashion than it was with humans. There was no word given, only feelings, images, but it was quite intuitive.
- 'I'll go talking to Hagrid tomorrow afternoon, maybe he'll know what this is about,' she added.
- 'All right, let's go before we get in troubles with Filch,' said Oliver, who was waiting at the door
The History of Magic exam had been nearly as exhausting as the classes. It was really long and required to remember extremely boring facts. Of course, it was important to know what had happened in the past centuries, but remembering all these dates with precision, the names of the famous Goblins involved in the Goblin Wars, … It wasn't easy. Luckily, with all the notes she took during her class, Kate had assimilated a part of the information already, she needed to review less than other students who slept or talked in the classroom.
She was done around eleven and went to the Lake to wait for Fred and George. That's how they were doing every day, as the weather was warm and sunny, sitting after every exam under a willow tree until it was lunch time. The boys joined her ten minutes later to enjoy some free time. Usually they started working in the afternoon again, but that Friday, Kate had decided to go to Hagrid's. They had no exam the next day, it wasn't a big problem if she wasn't working for a few hours, and Fred and George were always happy when they could avoid studying. They discussed their morning exam, then simply relaxed, enjoying the nice warm weather of the late spring.
Everything was quiet, only a few students were outside, most of them with books to work for their next exams. Kate was of the opinion that she was working more effectively with a free mind, it was important for her to allow herself to take a break between the end of an exam and studying for the next one. As she worked hard the whole year, it was also not really a problem, she only had to refresh all what she already learned.
Around midday, they left the enjoyable shadow of the willow tree to go to the Great Hall for lunch. They joined Lee, who was feeling like he had to study as much as possible, as he hadn't done much during the school year. During the meal, two fifth year had a nervous breakdown and had to be brought to the Hospital Wing to be given a calming draught.
- 'I wonder why they freak out like this,' said Kate as the second one was leaving. 'They went to class for five years, they took their exams every year and they succeeded, they did their homework, why are they so scared of the O.W.L.s?'
- 'Maybe you'll be able to tell us on Monday, you have your first one,' Lee said.
- 'Dream!' snapped Fred. 'She has Defence Against the Dark Arts, no way she'll fear that exam.'
- 'She taught Gray how to produce a corporeal Patronus,' continued George. 'She helped Charlie train to be ready to face dragons, and he's still alive, we can presume she knows the topic.'
- 'True, I'm not scared about it,' the girl laughed. 'But that's the same for Charms and Transfiguration. I think the only exam for which I was unsure was History of Magic, but I think I managed quite well.'
- 'I wish I was that confident,' sighed Lee.
- 'Sorry, I lied, I'm a bit worried about Potions as well. Not because I don't know everything well enough,' Kate explained, 'but because Snape ignores me completely since our last quidditch match. He's mad at me and I'm worried it might have an influence on the notes he'll give me. Anyway, if you're already scared now, you should work more regularly next year. It can be quite fun, you know.'
- 'I don't want to spend as much time working as you do!' he answered.
- 'You don't have to. I work so much because I review five years worth of three classes, follow two elective, brew potions for Charlie and have extra work for Dumbledore. It would be enough if you train one hour after dinner, then do your homework, this way you have all meal time free and you could be done around latest ten every evening, what still lets you one or two hours to chat and relax.'
- 'It sounds so exhausting.'
- 'That's a choice. I'm not scared of my exams because I know I'm well prepared.'
- 'And we're not scared either because we know we'll most likely fail, as we've done nothing the whole year,' laughed Fred.
- 'You're too good to fail,' smiled Kate. 'But if you fail – even if I believe that'd be a choice you made – I guess I'd be happy, as that means you'd be in class with me next year.'
- 'Except for the three most exciting ones,' commented George. 'I guess we'll make it anyway. I don't think we want to stay longer than needed here.'
- 'I know,' she sighted. 'I'll finish school alone.'
- 'You poor thing,' laughed Fred as he messed up her hair.
- 'Yeah, definitely. There's no one else who can make me laugh and forget how dark the world is.'
- 'We'll write to you, send you things to brighten your day,' George said, putting his arm around Kate's shoulder.
- 'Thanks, George. I'm not sure you understand how important you are for my mental health,' she joked.
- 'Okay, it's not against you, guys, but I have to go to the library,' Lee said as he stood up.
- 'See you later, then,' answered the three others.
The trio of twins kept talking until the Great Hall was nearly empty, then went to Hagrid's hut. On the way, Kate asked the boys to let her bring up the topic as she had a feeling he wouldn't like to talk about it. When they arrived, Fang ran out through the open door and jumped on Kate to greet her. The young witch fell on the ground, laughing as the huge dog was trying to lick her face.
- 'Fang, enough,' said Hagrid's loud voice from inside. Then as he stepped outside, he added 'hello y'all, how you doin'?'
- 'Quite good,' said Kate, standing up again now that Fang had moved away.
- 'We can't complain,' Fred said.
- 'Of course, it would be better without exams,' continued George.
- 'But that wouldn't be school, would it?' Kate finished.
- 'Right. What do ye want?'
- 'It's a long time since we gave you news from Charlie, and we needed a break from studying, so we thought it's the perfect occasion, if you have time, of course,' said Kate.
- 'Sure, come in!' he said, and he immediately went preparing some tea for the students.
They drank while talking about Charlie and dragons for nearly one hour, until Kate had the feeling that Hagrid was completely relaxed.
- 'Hagrid, now that I think about it, there's something we wanted to ask. We noticed there was an odd agitation in the Forest yesterday night. Do you know what was happening?' she asked.
- 'Oh, hem… That's nothin', don't worry.'
- 'It looked like a battle was taking place, it's not nothing,' she pointed out.
- 'Yeah, that happens sometimes, nothin' to worry about,' Hagrid said, seemingly embarrassed.
- 'It's the third time in two weeks,' said Fred.
- 'And it never happened before,' finished George.
- 'Some beasts fighting probably, don't ye worry.'
- 'Against what were fighting the Centaurs?' asked Kate blankly.
- 'How do ye know?'
- 'They're the only living beasts in that Forest that use fire – unless you got a dragon, but I doubt Dumbledore would allow that – and clearly something was burning last night.'
- 'I don't know,' mumbled the half-giant.
- 'It's the acromantulas, isn't it?' the girl asked, staring at the hairy man.
She realized that he wouldn't say anything, so she focused on him. He was trying to look somewhere else, as if it would help avoiding that Kate could enter his mind. Quickly, she saw all what was happening.
- 'The spiders want to take control of the Forest, they try to feed on Centaurs. Hagrid, it's not okay, this Forest is all what the ministry gave Magorian's herd as territory. We can't let the spiders do that! Does Dumbledore know?'
Hagrid was looking at his hands laying on the table, he was avoiding eye contact as much as possible.
- 'Of course not!' she continued. 'The leader of the spiders was your pet, you don't want that it's hurt. We cannot let them wipe off the herd, Hagrid. We have to do something. There are way more spiders than Centaurs in the forest, if we let them do, they'll end up winning. And when they'll be done with the Centaurs, what will they prey upon? Students?'
- 'They're not really bad,' he finally answered. 'It's just their nature, they need to eat, to hunt. But I'll try to see Aragog and ask 'im to stop their attacks on Centaurs.'
- 'I hope so, Hagrid. If we notice another attack, we'll warn Dumbledore,' said the young witch firmly. 'The herd has no choice but to live here, they have no right to leave and they have no chance to make it through repeated attacks from an acromantulas' army.'
- 'All right, all right. I'll go tonigh' then.'
Kate nodded. Fred and George changed subject to lighten the mood, then all three left to have a walk around the Lake. Kate was worried, she had seen that Hagrid was having a soft spot for Aragog, his old pet. She was not sure he would manage to have any kind of authority on the spiders. She opened up about it, the twins tried to comfort her, saying that it would be still time then to warn Dumbledore. He was powerful enough to scare even an army of giant spiders. But the girl was still feeling uneasy. She had seen in the half-giant's mind an incredible amount of spiders, that would not be an easy fight, not even for Dumbledore.
They went back in the castle for dinner, then they finally started working for their Monday exam. It was Defence Against the Dark Arts, Kate was really looking forward to it. She knew it would be no problem, neither the theoretical nor the practical part. Early in the evening, they saw Hagrid walk inside the forest. At least he was trying, as he promised in the afternoon. Kate helped the boys preparing for their own Defence Against the Dark Arts exam. Shortly before ten, when they left their practice classroom for the Common Room, Hagrid was still not back.
At the end of the second week of exams, after finishing her Charms practical exam, Kate joined Fred and George outside. She was completely relaxed.
- 'How did it went?' Fred asked as the girl sat down beside them, in the shadow.
- 'Really good. The examiner was impressed. Maybe not as impressed as the Monday one after I conjured my Patronus, but I succeeded with everything. I guess I'll have an Outstanding for that one as well.'
- 'We never doubted it,' smiled George.
- 'Now there's only Transfiguration on Monday. That should go smoothly as well,' Kate stated.
- 'So no work this weekend?' Fred asked, full of hope.
- 'I don't know if it will go smoothly for you, maybe you should show me what you can tomorrow.'
- 'But today, we rest, right?' asked George.
- 'Yeah, that sounds good,' Kate said, lying down on the grass. 'I should go checking how Alec is doing later, his mother is back at St Mungo's since their last quidditch match, with the stress of the exams, maybe it's a bit much. We were all so busy studying... I'll talk to him after dinner.'
- 'I thought she was doing better after they let her out last time,' wondered George.
- 'I bet it's harder to heal a hurting soul than it is to heal a body,' she answered.
- 'Anybody willing to go greeting the squid?' asked Fred suddenly. 'It's too warm for me, the water would be great to cool me down.'
- 'Great idea!' said George, already standing up.
- 'Are you coming, Kate?' asked Fred, looking down at the witch who was smiling broadly, eyes closed.
- 'Sure,' she answered as she finally opened her eyes. 'I hope I won't get a tan.'
The boys laughed, they shared with Kate a fair skin complexion, they knew perfectly that all three of them would rather get a sunburn than a tan. They helped her stand up, the trio removed shoes and socks, the boys folded up their trousers, Kate's skirt was not going lower than her knees, that was enough to go, but she removed her robes and laid them beside her shoes. They spent half an hour in the water, then George brought Kate's attention to their clothes under the tree. Lopez was sneaking around there. Kate scanned her mind shortly, the Slytherin girl wanted to steal their belongings.
- 'Watch out,' said Kate.
She made a tiny move with her hand and as Santana was about to grab a first pair of shoe, a swarm of wasps flew right to her. Lopez let fall the one shoe she already had and ran away at a speed no one had expected of her. When she was far enough, Kate snapped her fingers and the swarm disappeared. The three twins were laughing really hard. They tickled a last time the squid's tentacle, then went back under the tree taking their stuff back. They walked barefoot to the castle and put back socks and shoes sitting on the stairs.
After dinner, Kate, Fred and George walked to the Hufflepuff table.
- 'Hi, Alec,' said Kate. 'Do you have news from your mother?'
- 'Hi you three,' he smiled. 'Not really, but we'll go tomorrow morning with Kyle. Dumbledore said it would be nice if she could get to know the friend where I'll spend the summer. His mum will be there as well, so they can get to know each other.'
- 'That's a great idea,' answered the young witch. 'Will you tell me how it went when you're back?'
- 'Sure, no problem. I was quite busy studying in the last weeks, I hadn't much time to chat, I'm sorry. But we just have transfiguration left, and thanks to you I'm quite good with that now.'
- 'Kate is really awesome, she makes us all progress,' George said.
- 'Even George and me. That's quite impressive knowing how much we hate working!'
- 'That's not quite true,' the witch interjected. 'As long as it's amusing or challenging, you actually enjoy working. I guess classes are either boring, not challenging enough or both at once.'
- 'You'd be a great professor, Kate,' smiled George.
- 'Yeah, you manage to make everything interesting enough.'
- 'I agree with them,' said Alec. 'You'd be wonderful, you're explaining everything better than our professors. I went from passable student to one of the best in class thanks to you.'
- 'I'm actually thinking about it,' she said. 'But there's still plenty of time, maybe I'll change my mind. All right, I think we'll relax in the Common Room for tonight. Have a nice evening.'
On Saturday and Sunday, the trio worked on Transfiguration, Oliver joined them on Sunday afternoon, to be sure he got everything right. Kate was really happy with everybody's work. After dinner on Sunday, the three twins went picking up some butterbeer bottles in the kitchen and went to their classroom, where Kate conjured some comfortable armchairs. They decided once more to enjoy the evening there, only the three of them, as the atmosphere in the Common Room was full of anxiety. But as the day was slowly growing darker – summer solstice took place just a few days before – some agitation was perceptible in the Forest. George was the first to notice, a few seconds later, Kate was at the window. She was worried.
The young witch focused, she wanted to know what was happening, and slowly she started to discern things. A group of around fifteen Centaurs was surrounded by a huge amounts of acromantulas, at least double as much. They were trying to defend themselves, but they were clearly outnumbered and trapped, the spiders were closing on the group of Centaurs. Firenze and Magorian were among them. Kate heard George asking if they should warn Dumbledore, she nodded. At that moment, she saw two acromantulas rushing on Firenze.
She pulled out her wand as she left her vision, she called 'Accio Fred's broom', a few seconds later, the broom was there.
- 'Kate, don't!' said Fred. 'Let's go to Dumbledore!'
- 'It's too dangerous, and you have an O.W.L tomorrow!' cried George.
As they were talking, she turned herself and the broom she was now mounting invisible, vaporised the window, went through it and repaired it as she flew away. The twins were in disbelief, they ran as fast as they could to Dumbledore's office, that was on the other side of the castle. Kate was speeding towards the Forest and soon enough, she was under the trees. She flew as good as she could between the trees, following her instinct to find the battle. She had to hurry, her friend was in danger. She found the battle quickly, dismounted and hid the broom to keep it safe.
The first thing the girl saw was that the two acromantulas were now on Firenze, biting him. He was trying as he could to free himself, but he had been thrown on the ground, lying, he couldn't do much. Kate didn't think, she threw a fireball at the spider that seemed the most dangerous. Its hair caught fire, it spread on its body and the animal ran away, emitting horrible noises as the fire was consuming it. She blasted the second one away, it lost two legs in the move.
- 'Kate, what are you doing here? It's too dangerous, leave!' screamed Firenze.
But she saw the whole group was in difficulty, Firenze was injured, at the moment not able to stand any more. The amount of spiders had grown even bigger, they had no chances to survive.
- 'Protego Diabolica,' she whispered, and a line of black fire started running on the ground.
Kate guided it as close as possible to the Centaurs, to burn a few acromantulas in it immediately and give some rest to the few fighters of the herd. Only one spider managed to narrowly escape the fire and be inside the circle that Kate closed as she stepped inside.
- 'Push it in the fire!' the witch shouted.
Magorian reared up and with a heavy hit of his hooves sent the spider rolling in the fire. Once there was no immediate danger any more, Kate pushed the fire further away from the Centaurs to let them some space to rest shortly before the battle would have to restart. They had to get away from there one way or another.
- 'Where are you, Kate?' asked Magorian.
Really, only Firenze could notice her when she was invisible. She removed the charm, she was kneeling beside her friend.
- 'You're mad, why did you come?' Firenze asked. He was trembling, he had a few open wounds that were full of acromantula's poison.
The young witch didn't answer, with her wand she started healing the blond Centaur. Lying, he didn't stand a chance. She couldn't heal everything completely, she still had to fight, but on each wound, she used magic until no more of the black poisonous liquid was sucked out. When she was done, the blond Centaur wasn't trembling any more.
- 'Can you stand again?' she asked.
With some difficulties, he managed to stand up.
During this time, in the castle, Fred and George had run into Snape and McGonagall arguing in a corridor.
- 'Where do you think you are going like this?' asked McGonagall.
- 'You have exactly two minutes before you should be in your Common Room!' Snape said coldly.
- 'We need to see Professor Dumbledore, now!' screamed Fred.
- 'It's Kate!' said George. 'She's gone to the Forest, there's a battle between Centaurs and Acromantulas!'
The two teachers stared at each other for a split second, then McGonagall pushed Fred and George in the direction of Dumbledore's office and Snape ran away in the other direction.
- 'Let's go,' said the Head of Gryffindor. 'Hurry!'
The situation was quite critical in the Forest.
- 'If we survive this, I will thank your madness, Kate,' said Magorian. 'But we have to fight, if we don't do anything, they'll part and attack our camp, there aren't enough left of us to protect the herd there!'
When in situations of danger, Kate's mind was working much faster then usually. She closed her eyes a second.
- 'They're still safe at the moment, and some help is on the way. What do you propose?' she asked.
- 'What's this fire around us?'
- 'It's a defensive fire that let friends go through but burns foes. I know someone already used it offensively, but I never did, I'm not sure I can.'
- 'It's worth a try. We barely have arrows left, we won't be able to do much,' Magorian answered honestly.
- 'That can be solved easily,' the girl said, flicking her wand.
All quivers filled with new arrows.
- 'Thanks,' said the Centaurs' leader.
- 'There are hundreds of them around,' said Kate, trying to find an idea.
At that moment, some spells were cast against some of the spiders. Professor Snape had arrived. The acromantulas were not stupid, they realised that the fire was hurting them, but there was now someone outside of it. One went it this direction, soon followed by many others.
- 'Professor,' whispered Kate.
There were about fifteen spiders rushing to Snape. He was casting spell after spell, getting rid of some, but he would soon be overrun. Kate started casting to help him, but she soon realised it was nearly useless, as other spiders kept following the move. She took a deep breath and put her focus in the black flames. She let her wand fall and with both her hands, she guided the fire, sending two lines of it in Snape's direction, mercilessly burning all spiders on the way. Just as she was about to reach Snape, Magorian called her. She turned around and saw a group of spiders run away.
- 'That's the direction of our camp!' he cried, madly shooting arrows in their direction.
Flashes of light came from behind Snape. Dumbledore and McGonagall were arriving. Kate switched her focus, she sent the fire attack the group of acromantulas running to the Centaurs' camp. The fire took the form of a black dragon and rushed between the trees until it reached these twenty spiders and burnt them away. When she was sure all these ones were slaughtered, she turned back her focus in the direction of the teachers. All three were standing, burning or blasting spiders away as fast and efficiently as they could, but more kept arriving. Dumbledore was moving a long jet of flames and was attacking all acromantulas coming too near.
Kate was feeling her energy get lower, the circle of flames protecting them was also lowering. But then she heard screams, voices she shouldn't have heard there. Fred and George had followed Dumbledore and McGonagall, unnoticed from all, except from acromantulas. They were circled. Kate was horrified. Snape reacted first, he turned around and blasted three spiders away with one spell, Fred and George, back against back, were trying to defend themselves as they could, it seemed like they could manage with Snape's help, but then one of these eight legged beast fell from a branch on the Potions Master.
- 'PROFESSOR!' she screamed.
More spiders circled the boys, Kate had to do something. She closed her eyes, gathered all her energy and the strength of her fears, she deeply breathed in, the flames grew higher again, then she spread her arms open and the circle of fire expended in every direction, it included Dumbledore and McGonagall. Kate's body was shaking, but she had to keep on, Fred and George were still in danger, she pushed the circle until it included Snape and finally the twins, and she passed out. The feeling of danger was still so intense that she awoke only seconds later, the circle of fire had disappeared.
She grabbed her wand that was laying on the ground beside her and crawled in the twins' direction. They seemed safe, but Snape was stuck under the burning body of a spider.
- 'Move it away!' she screamed to the twins as she approached.
Fred was fastest, he sent the corpse away from Snape. Kate kneeled beside him. He was unconscious.
- 'Rennervate!' she said.
The Potions Master opened his eyes.
- 'Are you injured?' she asked, her wand ready to act, although her hand was shaking heavily.
- 'You don't heal –' he stopped in a grimace as he started moving his arm to stop her.
- 'I need light!' she cried.
George stepped closer and lit his wand. Snape's arm had been ripped open by the spider. Kate searched her pocket, she still had a tiny rest of the potion to restore her energy, she took the last sip, then as the shaking diminished, she proceeded to heal Snape's arm. The black poison was sucked out but she had to stop before being able to close the wound.
- 'I'm sorry, I can't any more,' she breathed.
- 'You shouldn't even have started!' he mumbled, looking at her anxiously as she needed to hold herself with both hands on the ground.
- 'Where are Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall?' she asked.
- 'You burnt most of the spiders here, they chased the last ones away,' said Fred.
- 'All right,' she whispered before looking at Snape. 'Still don't like that fire?'
- 'I might have reviewed my opinion,' he said with a snare.
The Potions Master stood up and walked to the group of Centaurs. They had some injuries as well, Snape started healing the worst wounds with his valid arm.
- 'Firenze?' asked Kate suddenly. 'Are you all right?'
She hadn't even energy enough to turn around. She heard the sound of hooves approaching.
- 'I'm all right, Kate, thanks to you,' he said in a very soft voice. 'And you?'
- 'I'm… fine. Only empty. Fred, George, maybe you can check if Snape doesn't need help,' she whispered.
The twins walked away reluctantly, but they knew they were the reason why Snape was injured. The least they could do was helping him if they could.
- 'You saved our herd today, Kate. There is no way we can thank you enough,' Firenze said softly.
- 'I don't need to be thanked. We saw a fight from the classroom where we were, I tried to see how it was going, and I saw the two spiders attacking you, I had to come helping. I couldn't let you be killed. You're my friend, Firenze.'
- 'It's the second time we fight together,' he smiled.
- 'It's probably not the last time.'
- 'I know. I'm not scared.'
She looked at him and smiled.
- 'Me neither,' she breathed. 'Can you help me stand up? I'm a bit short on energy right now.'
The blond Centaur bent down, grasped the witch under the arms and lifted her as if she weighted nothing. He put her on her feet, but her legs had troubles carrying her weight, Firenze decided to carry her to the next tree so she could rest against its trunk.
- 'Will you be all right?' he asked, a bit worried.
She nodded, then summoned Fred's broom and made it visible again. She gave it to the Centaur.
- 'Can you give that to Fred and George?' she asked in a whisper.
- 'Are you sure I can let you?'
She nodded once more, the blond Centaur turned around and walked to the others. Kate closed her eyes, holding onto the tree trunk. But soon after, she heard this distinct clicking noise again. There were still spiders around. Kate couldn't scream to warn the others. The clicking was coming closer, the witch tried to gather energy from the tree, she had her wand in her hand, not knowing if she could still effectively cast anything, but at least ready to try. The girl was sure she wouldn't be able to face them alone, with the tree's energy, she started walking to join the group.
But she wasn't fast enough. She saw on her left side a group of three spiders speeding towards her, she faced them, managed to cast a fireball to one of them, which rolled away, burning, but the fastest of these beast was already upon her. It hit her with one of its legs, Kate fell backwards. While falling, she heard George scream her name, then her head hit the ground and all was black and silent.
When Kate opened her eyes again, she was in a bed in the ward. She was feeling very weak, her head was painful, as was her right arm, which was tightly bound in front of her chest. Two candles were giving light in a corner, she heard whispers, looked in that direction and saw a small group of people.
- 'What happened? With the last spiders...' she asked, her voice was weak.
The group stopped talking and all approached her. She recognised Fred and George – both seemed to be fine – Madam Pomfrey and all three professors who came to help in the Forest. The twins were the first to arrive, Fred took Kate's hand as she tried to reach for them, George caressed her hair softly.
- 'How are you doing? Are you fine?' the girl asked anxiously.
- 'Yeah, we're all right, don't worry,' Fred said.
- 'And you, how are you doing?' anxiously asked his twin.
- 'I'm… empty and I have pain a bit everywhere. I guess I'm fine. Are the Centaurs all right?'
- 'Yes, they are,' said Dumbledore softly. 'Magorian and Firenze told me what happened and how you saved their life.'
- 'What happened with these last spiders that arrived at the end? I remember I burnt one, then one attacked me, and that's all I know.'
- 'You were extremely lucky!' snapped Snape. 'You lost consciousness when you fell, the acromantula had just bitten you when your wand cast a spell by itself – luckily for you, as the one I cast was taken by the third spider, it walked in between you and me – your wand's spell killed the spider, it fell on you and broke your leg. I moved the corpse away as fast as I could.'
- 'That's when Professor McGonagall and myself came back,' continued Dumbledore. 'As the battle was over, we brought you back here.'
- 'I gave you some Skele-Gro for your leg, but you'll have to keep a cast until Friday,' explained Madam Pomfrey. 'This way the bones will be able to grow back as strong as before. I fear you went too deep in your reserves of energy to heal faster than this. We removed the poison from your arm, the wound will also need a few days to fully heal, it was quite deep. Your head shouldn't hurt any more after a good night of sleep. Now I will give you some of the potion for your energy, and another one for a dreamless sleep.'
- 'I don't need that last one,' interjected Kate.
The Matron looked at Professor Dumbledore. He seemed to agree with Kate's decision.
- 'Professor Snape, how is your arm doing?' asked the young witch.
Madam Pomfrey and the two other professors looked at him, surprised.
- 'I'll be all right!' he said coldly.
- 'I didn't know you were injured as well, Professor,' said Madam Pomfrey. 'Perhaps you can let me have a look.'
- 'I said I'll be all right!' he snapped.
- 'Severus, if there is poison in the wound, it –'
- 'There isn't!' Snape cut sharply. 'Labelle sucked it out and started healing it after the battle, that's why she wasn't able to fight any more. The rest will heal with Dittany.'
- 'All right, I think we should let you rest, now,' said Dumbledore.
- 'Professor, do you think acromantulas will attack the Centaurs' herd again?'
- 'No, they won't. Not only did you burn half of the colony, but I also went with Professor McGonagall to their nesting area and I talked to Aragog. I made it very clear that, should something like this happen again, we would have no choice but to destroy the whole colony. The Centaurs are on their territory in the Forest, we kindly accepted to host Aragog, we never agreed that he takes control over the whole Forest and mercilessly kill all other beasts living there.'
- 'We asked Hagrid last week to tell you about it, it wasn't the first time they attacked,' Kate said. 'He didn't want to, but he went talking to Aragog. It didn't bring much.'
- 'Don't worry, it won't happen again.'
- 'Labelle, do you realise how lucky you were?' McGonagall said in a trembling voice. 'You could have been killed, you nearly were.'
- 'So would Firenze have been if I hadn't done what I did, and maybe the whole herd. I had to go.'
Madam Pomfrey approached and gave Kate a cup of potion. The young witch looked at it suspiciously.
- 'That's the potion for your energy. You went way too deep in your energy reserves. I want you to take all this tonight, it should help you heal better, and with some sleep, you should already feel better tomorrow. Then for a week you will have to take a sip of potion every two hours.'
Kate drank the potion quickly.
- 'All right, we will let you rest, now,' said Dumbledore. 'Have a good night.'
- 'Misters Weasley, let's go,' said McGonagall.
- 'We're staying here!' Fred answered immediately.
- 'Miss Labelle should rest,' firmly said Madam Pomfrey.
- 'We'll stay by her side, we won't say anything, we just can't let her,' George answered.
- 'You should rest as well,' Kate said. 'There's a last exam tomorrow.'
- 'Do you really think we care about it at the moment?' cried Fred.
- 'I do,' she whispered.
- 'We'll go take the exam, then, but we stay here with you for the night,' said George softly.
- 'Professor Dumbledore, don't tell Charlie anything. I'll do when I'll feel better. I don't want he worries.'
- 'As you wish,' answered the Headmaster. 'Good night you three, then.'
He turned around and walked away, followed closely by McGonagall, Snape was the last one to turn around.
- 'Professor Snape,' Kate called.
The Potions Master stopped at once and slowly turned back to face the girl. Kate's grey eyes found Snape's black ones, for a few seconds they looked at each other silently.
- 'Thank you. I know we disagree on many things and we don't really understand each other, but I wanted to let you know how truly thankful I am for your help tonight.'
They kept staring at each other a moment, until Dumbledore softly said 'Severus, let's go.' Snape nodded and all teachers left. Madam Pomfrey came back with pyjamas for Fred and George and allowed them to use beds to sleep. But as soon as she left, Fred pulled two chairs beside Kate's bed, George took a bed sheet, they sat beside each other, the sheet on their shoulders, they put their hand on Kate's forearm, laid their head on the bed beside her and wished her to have a good night. She smiled, closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.
Next morning, Kate was awaken by Madam Pomfrey bringing trays with breakfast for the three students. The young witch smiled when she saw Fred and George still beside her, holding her arm. It was good to see them there, she had been so scared the previous night when they were circled by spiders. They woke up when she moved her arm, sat up and smiled as well when they saw Kate awake and smiling.
- 'Good morning, you three,' said Madam Pomfrey, distributing the trays.
- 'Good morning,' answered the three students.
- 'I've let you sleep as long as possible, but your exam starts in forty minutes, boys, you should hurry to be ready. There are some fresh robes for you.'
- 'Excuse me,' said Kate, 'but I have an exam as well. Where are my robes?'
- 'How do you want to take your exam, you can't even write!' said Fred.
- 'I'll write with my left hand, it won't be pretty, but better than nothing,' she answered.
- 'And casting your spells for the practical part?' George asked.
- 'Left hand, you know I can do it!'
- 'No one is expecting you to go to your exam, you have to rest,' tried Madam Pomfrey.
- 'I practised all year long to get three O.W.L.s, I will not leave school with only two. I'll go, even if it means I go in my pyjamas!'
- 'I'll call Professor Dumbledore,' sighed Madam Pomfrey before turning around and leaving the ward.
- 'You don't seriously want to take your exam?' Fred asked.
- 'Of course I am. I told you last night, I care about it. Maybe I will not have an outstanding, but I'm sure I can still reach exceed expectations.'
- 'You're mad, you know,' sighed George.
- 'That's why you like me,' she smiled.
Kate took her wand in her left hand, she flicked it and some robes appeared at the foot of her bed. The trio finished eating quickly, then they dressed up. Kate needed some help, it was not easy with the use of only one arm and with a leg in a cast, but Fred and George gladly helped her. When Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey arrived, she was fully dressed, sitting on a chair, the twins trying to braid her hair.
- 'Good morning you three,' started the Headmaster. 'Kate, don't you think it is a bit too much for you to take your exam?'
- 'No,' she calmly said. 'I prepared the whole year for it, maybe I will not have an O, only an E, that's still okay.'
- 'I guess nothing I could say will make you change your mind, am I right?'
- 'Yes, you're right. I'm decided.'
- 'Good, I will talk with the examiners and see what solution we can find. It is unwise to leave your bed already. I will come back shortly. Misters Weasley, you should go, it is nearly time for you to start, it isn't a good idea to be late, I believe your friend would feel most disappointed if they do not let you in.'
The three of them left the ward, Madam Pomfrey gathered the empty trays. She put the bottle of potion on Kate's bedside table.
- 'Don't forget to drink a sip of it every two hours, will you?' said the Matron while helping the young witch back in bed.
- 'I will,' the girl answered. 'Although I don't have a watch, but I guess as long as I'm here you will remind me when I have to.'
- 'Of course,' smiled Madam Pomfrey. 'You scared us all yesterday, but I will get you back to full strength in no time,' she added with a wink before leaving with the trays.
A few minutes later, Dumbledore came back with a short old witch who seemed rather strict.
- 'Kate, this is Professor Marchbanks, from the Wizarding Examination Authority. She agreed to let you take your examination orally today. She will ask you the questions and will evaluate your answers. If you are still fit enough, she will immediately continue with the practical examination, so the afternoon schedule is not disturbed for all students. If you need to rest, the practical examination will take place in the evening. I have to go to the Great Hall now, good luck,' said Dumbledore before leaving.
Professor Marchbanks sat down beside Kate's bed, a clipboard on her knees, she put a feather and an inkwell on the chair beside her, then looked at the girl in her bed.
- 'All right, Professor Dumbledore told me briefly what happened last night, I must admit I am surprised you are willing to take your examination, but as it is what you want, here I am. If you feel bad during the examination, please tell me. The written part is usually taking around four hours, it will probably be shorter orally. Are you ready?'
Kate nodded, and the woman started asking her questions. It started with relatively easy questions from the first year of class. The girl answered them with ease, it gave her confidence. After each answer, Professor Marchbanks was writing something beside the question, but Kate couldn't read what it was. After one and a half hour, Madam Pomfrey knocked and entered the ward.
- 'I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have to remind Kate that it's time to take her potion,' she said.
Kate thought Madam Pomfrey looked nearly shy when she talked to Professor Marchbanks. She reached for the bottle and drank a sip out of it. The old witch was looking at her suspiciously.
- 'It's a potion to restore my levels of energy, I have to drink a sip every two hours,' Kate explained.
The examiner nodded, then they continued the theoretical examination. The young witch had no hesitations whatsoever, all answers were flowing out. It wasn't even three hours of examination when the professor told Kate that they were done with the theory.
- 'How do you feel?' she asked the girl. 'Do you think you could manage the practical examination this morning? I would let you a twenty minutes break before starting.'
- 'I'm good enough, I think.'
- 'Professor Dumbledore told me that your usual wand hand is the right one, but you believe you can succeed with your left hand as well. I must say this is surprising, in my very long career, I have never seen something like this.'
- 'I know, but… My father was traumatised by the war, he wanted me to be able to defend myself as good as possible, in any circumstances, what means, even if my right arm is injured, I should still be able to use my magic. I will maybe not do it as perfectly as I do it with my usual hand, but I think I should get it.'
- 'All right, I will come back in twenty minutes then. Try to rest.'
- 'I don't really have much choice,' smiled Kate.
The old witch smiled back, she seemed to respect Kate's determination. Right after she left, Madam Pomfrey entered the ward to check on the girl.
- 'How are you doing?' she asked. 'Are you feeling dizzy, any signs of weakness?'
- 'I'm fine,' Kate answered. 'I think the cup of potion last night helped a lot already, I feel perfectly fine, except for my arm and my leg. She comes back in twenty minutes for the practical exam.'
The Matron rolled her eyes and sighed, but didn't insist. The young witch prepared her wand by her side, then she lay back a little and closed her eyes to rest until Professor Marchbanks came back. After about twenty minutes, the very old witch came back.
- 'Miss Labelle?' she asked, a hint of worry in her voice. 'Are you all right?'
- 'Yes, I am,' Kate answered after opening her eyes. 'I just wanted to be as focused as possible.'
- 'All right. We will start quietly, I don't want to ask too much of you after what you went through. Here you have a rat, could you please transform it into a water goblet?'
Kate visualised what she wanted to achieve, she moved her wand and the rat transformed in a silvery goblet richly decorated. She was then asked to reverse the spell, then vanish the rat, transform a chair in an ostrich, and many other exercises. Then at the end, Professor Marchbanks asked Kate if she could conjure something, anything she'd like. The young witch thought for a moment, then focused and slowly, a wheelchair appeared beside her bed.
- 'I think that's what I want, a way to get out of this room,' she laughed.
Marchbanks smiled. The exam was over.
- 'This was a perfect examination, Miss Labelle. I was afraid after what your professor told me that you would have some difficulties, but I'm glad to see I was wrong. I imagine I will see you again next year for your N.E.W.T.s, as you master non-verbal spells, that shouldn't be much more difficult for you.'
- 'Thank you, Professor. My N.E.W.T.s next year in these classes is the plan. Thank you for allowing me to take my examination.'
The old witch left the ward again, Kate set her wand aside and closed her eyes again. When she heard the door, she opened her eyes, thinking it would be Fred and George coming back, but it was Dumbledore. He sat beside her and stared at her over his half-moon spectacles.
- 'I heard you did remarkably well, and I see you're ready to get out of here,' he smiled, looking at the wheelchair.
- 'The weather is great, I don't want to spend all the time inside,' she smiled. 'It was the final exercise of my practical examination.'
- 'Why don't you want me to warn Charlie Weasley?' he asked, genuinely interested.
- 'At the moment, he's dealing with work and his N.E.W.T.s. You've seen how Fred and George reacted yesterday, they didn't want to leave my side. I'm sure he would have an even worse reaction. I can't throw away all he's working for since January just because I would feel better if he's there. I'll tell him later all what happened, when I'll be fine. It's useless to give him extra worries.'
- 'Do you sometimes think about yourself?'
- 'I do, but I don't believe I'm the most important. I think for me what matters most is that Charlie is happy, and that he, Fred and George are safe. I can't feel good if I know one of them feels bad.'
- 'You know you also have the right to be happy, Kate?'
- 'I know,' she said, looking at him. 'You don't believe me, I see. Let me show you something.'
She focused on the overwhelming feeling of joy she experienced when Charlie, last time he came, talked about his work and was so obviously happy doing so, and shared that memory with the Headmaster.
- 'Isn't it a feeling of happiness?' she asked. 'I know I won't be happy if I look for egoistic pleasure. The joy I'm experiencing is much stronger when the people I love are happy. Maybe it's because I can feel what others feel so easily, or maybe it's because I was used to be two to be happy. I don't know why, actually. But I know I've never been as happy as I was when Charlie told me about Romania, or even after the first quidditch game, when he got the snitch. Alec saw us that day, he said it was as if we were two really bright stars, but that instead of having one making the other look pale, the light of one of us was only reinforcing the light of the other one. I think that sums it up. See, if he starts worrying for me now, I'll be worried, because I know he won't be focused on his job and will risk an accident, what would be absolutely devastating for me. If he comes here and sees me as I am, just like Fred and George, he will not want to leave my side, and could risk lose his job there. I don't want that, I know how happy he is there.'
- 'I see. Before I leave, I want to tell you I award Gryffindor a hundred points for your bravery and the skills you showed last night.'
- 'I thought everyone agreed on the fact that it was clearly madness, not bravery,' Kate smiled.
- 'You know how thin the line between these two concept is,' Dumbledore winked. 'I think there are some people waiting to see you, I will let you enjoy this company. But I fear you will not be allowed to leave the ward before tomorrow.'
The Headmaster walked to the door, opened, stated calmly that they should keep quiet because Kate needed to rest, then he left. The young witch expected Fred and George to come back, maybe Alec with them. She was amazed to see that the whole Gryffindor quidditch team, Katie, Lee, Alec and Kyle were there. They all embraced Kate, asked her what had happened, then Katie started decorating Kate's cast, and all imitated her. Once they were done, it looked really festive. But soon, Madam Pomfrey came back.
- 'All right, maximum two people can stay during lunch. All the others will have to leave the ward. And please do not come back all together, this girl needs to rest.'
- 'Madam Pomfrey, it's the end of our examinations today, I really would like to spend time with my friends. Would you allow me to go with them two hours outside this afternoon? I would use the wheelchair I conjured for my practical examination this morning.'
- 'Don't they have practical exams this afternoon?' she wondered.
- 'Only me, I think,' said Ainsworth. 'But I'm the first one after lunch.'
- 'We will take care of her, we promise,' Wood said. 'Just as well as she cares for us when we need it.'
- 'We'll carry her down and up the stairs, she won't have to stand,' said Fred and George.
- 'All right, all right, but you will have to make sure she takes her potion at two,' said the Matron. 'Now off you go, all of you!'
Everybody knew that Fred and George were the ones with whom she wanted to spend time the most, all the others left.
After eating, Fred and George helped Kate in the wheelchair, they put the bottle of potion in her pocket and pushed her out of the ward. All the others were waiting in the corridor and walked with them outside, carrying the wheelchair down the stairs. They went to the Lake, under the willow tree, and spent an enjoyable afternoon chatting together. Alec gave news of his mother, he was happy to say that Kyle's mother invited his mum to stay at their place as well when she would feel better and could leave the hospital again. At some point, the twins, Lee and Ethan left the group. They came back twenty minutes later with butterbeer for everyone. Kate took her potion at two, and at four, then the group brought her back to the ward shortly before dinner. Madam Pomfrey was completely worried. Around eight, Kate told the twins that they should go to the Common Room, she was exhausted and needed to sleep. They reluctantly agreed, wished her goodnight and left. The young girl fell asleep nearly as soon as they left the Ward.
Once more, in the middle of the night, Kate woke up with this intense feeling of being observed. She turned her head and saw Snape's silhouette beside her bed.
- 'What are you doing here, Professor?'
- 'Checking on you,' he mumbled.
- 'You've seen me enjoying time outside with friends, you know I'm fine.'
- 'You could have died,' he whispered.
- 'Would that be a problem for you? Your reaction after the last Gryffindor quidditch match was rather giving me the feeling you'd be happy to get rid of me.'
He shook his head but didn't answer anything.
- 'How is your arm doing?' Kate asked to change topic.
- 'It will be fine.'
- 'You've done nothing to heal it, have you? Not even using Dittany.' Snape stayed silent and immobile. 'Are you doing what I tried after Mrs Weasley and Charlie came here, trying to replace the emotional pain by a physical one? I found out it works only a very short amount of time, after both simply add up.'
They stayed quiet for a moment, then Kate broke the silence again.
- 'Come closer,' she said, rubbing her hands.
- 'What? No, you won't... you shouldn't,' he mumbled.
- 'Don't oblige me to stand up, or to call Madam Pomfrey. There's no reason for you to keep hurting. You're the only one who can forgive yourself for the decisions you made in the past, to ease the guilt and pain you carry. But I can help with physical wounds.'
- 'You used way too much energy last night, you shouldn't.'
- 'I'm feeling much better and stronger than after the Duelling Club. It's all right.'
He stood up with a sigh and stepped closer. Kate sat up, lifted her left hand towards the injured arm and let healing energy flow. Quite fast, she could feel the wound close under her hand. At some point, Snape took her hand to stop her, only to let it fall immediately, as if it was burning.
- 'That's enough!' he said sharply.
- 'I can finish, that's fine.'
- 'I shouldn't have let you start!'
- 'Why are you so scared for me?'
- 'I – it's just – Professor Dumbledore asked me to protect you.'
- 'That's maybe the way you try to make sense of it, but it's not the reason. Professor Dumbledore is way more relaxed with me and my injuries than you are.'
- 'Don't you dare look!' he breathed.
- 'I won't. I just wonder. Weirdly enough, although we nearly never agree on anything and we spend an insane amount of time arguing, I appreciate learning with you, even if you're… odd and you manage to upset me every second day. I get that it's not reciprocated, that you have to work with me but you'd be most happy not having to deal with me, my madness, how stubborn I am,…'
- 'It's not that. It's…' he paused.
- 'What?'
- 'There are some things in my life I don't want anybody to know. You're the biggest threat to my secrets I ever met.'
- 'I promised I wouldn't go looking in your mind, I go there only to communicate with you, I force myself to stay blind to all I could see.'
- 'It's not only your legilimency. You... feel so accurately sometimes, it seems dangerous.'
- 'So, you're not only scared for me but just as much scared of me,' she whispered. 'I'm sorry you feel that way, I don't know how I could change that. I like the way I can understand how people feel, it makes it easier to help them.'
- 'I don't need to be helped.'
- 'Or you don't want to… The result is the same anyway. What can I do so you start trusting me? It would be easier to work with you for Dumbledore if you're not always on the defensive.'
- 'Nothing.'
- 'Then I hope you'll be able to realize I'm not a danger for you. We have a few years of work together ahead of us, with Professor Dumbledore.'
- 'We'll see. I should let you rest.'
- 'Maybe,' she smiled. 'You know, even when we argue, like after the quidditch match, I don't hate you. It's just really frustrating for me, I still don't understand what was your point there. I can't stand what is unfair, and you being okay with the behaviour of your team but having a problem with me trying to protect mine, it makes no sense to me. After you left, Professor Dumbledore pointed out that you were maybe upset because you had to change the memories of all your students so they don't remember my healing abilities, and I could understand that, but why not saying it if that was the problem.'
- 'As if it would change anything…'
- 'Well, at least I would understand your point. You're right thinking I wouldn't change the way I act when people are in danger, because it feels more important for me to protect people if I can, it's a really strong impulse. If it makes you feel better, I'll work extra hard on my confunding and obliviating skills, so I can help you deal with my mess afterwards.'
Snape snorted.
- 'I'm not joking, Professor. Apart from this student-professor relation, we are supposed to be a team. A team that will have to work together during a war, when everything will be dangerous. If you can't trust me now, it won't work then. If it can help you be less wary of me, I'll do it.'
- 'It's my issue, not yours, you don't have to do anything. Good night… Kate.'
- 'Good night, Professor,' she said, smiling. 'I've never been as happy to see you as last night, when you came to help,' she added as he walked away.
She saw him nodding in the dark. Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep again.
The next day, Madam Pomfrey allowed Kate to go back to classes, as long as she promised to stay in her wheelchair and not work excessively. Fred and George helped her moving from class to class, they were glad to do it as it allowed them to be late at every class they had. As the school year was over, they were only reviewing important subjects that could have been not entirely understood and all Professors gave them some homework for the holidays.
On Friday, after lunch, the twins brought Kate to the Hospital Wing again. Madam Pomfrey removed Kate's cast, she checked if the bones were fully regrown and strong enough, then she had a look at Kate's arm. The Matron asked the girl to take a few steps, to move her arm in every direction, asking if she was feeling any pain. The young witch felt perfectly fine.
- 'I'm afraid you will keep this little scar, but I think for the rest, you're good to go,' smiled Madam Pomfrey.
- 'That's all right,' Kate answered, looking at her arm before putting back her shirt. 'It doesn't look that bad. Thank you for taking care of me so well.'
- 'Here is a bottle of the potion for your energy, and how to use it, if anything should happen during the holidays... Enjoy your last day at school, Kate, and try not to come here that often next year.'
- 'Thanks. Have a nice holiday.'
Kate left the ward and joined Fred and George who were waiting outside. They had decided not to go to Gray's last lesson. They had learned two days before that the man had decided to leave Hogwarts to take care of his ill mother in Ireland. All hoped for a better professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts the following year, someone who would really knows what they are talking about.
The trio left the castle and joined Katie, Kyle and Alec by the Lake. They talked about what they wanted to do during the holidays. Kate felt both happy, as she would spend two months with Fred and George, but also a bit sad at the idea not to see Alec, Katie, and all the others. They exchanged their address to write to each other, Kate was decided to buy a second owl for this purpose. She already knew how to name it. Mid afternoon, Lee, Angelina and Alicia joined them. They spent a relaxed afternoon, enjoying this nice summer day. They went back to the castle for the end of term feast, planning to join again under the willow tree afterwards, as they wanted to enjoy as much time together as possible before they had to go back home the next day.
Before the feast started, Mr Filch entered the Great Hall and ran to Professor Dumbledore. The old man smiled, stood up and walked straight to Kate.
- 'I believe there is someone for you in front of the castle, Kate. You should go.'
The young witch was curious, the Headmaster seemed to be pleasantly surprised, so it was nothing bad. She stood up and walked out, the twins only needed one second before deciding to join her. They arrived together at the huge oak doors, they stepped out and saw a group of Centaurs down the stairs. A huge smile appeared on Kate's face. Fred and George spontaneously put their hand on Kate's shoulders, but she freed herself and ran down the stairs.
- 'Firenze!' she said as she nearly jumped in his arms. 'How are you doing?'
- 'I'm good, thanks to you,' he answered, holding the young witch in his arms.
- 'This is the reason why we're here,' continued Magorian. 'We owe our life to you and for this, we wanted to thank you. As the leader of our herd, I wanted to officially grant you access to our Forest, you will be safe there at any time. All our warriors are here to know who you are. If they are to find you in the forest, they know they should lead you to Firenze. Also, here is a bag of herbs we use when we want to deepen the understanding of what we foresaw. Make good use of it. We don't know how to express our gratitude for the risks you have taken to come to our aid.'
Kate walked to Magorian, took the bag of herbs that was given to her with a bow of her head. Then she looked at him.
- 'Thank you, Magorian.You don't have to thank me, to give me anything, you're not in my debt. I saw a friend was in great danger, I had to do all I could to save him. Maybe now, I can say I have friends in this Forest?'
Magorian smiled, he nodded and extended his hand to the young witch. She took it and shook it.
- 'You do have friends in this Forest,' he said. 'I wish there would be more witches and wizards like you. Even your friends seem wary of us,' he continued, looking at Fred and George, in front of the door.
- 'I guess they still have in mind the speech they received from Bane when they got caught in the Forest, but they are good guys. They just don't know you.'
Magorian nodded, Kate went back to Firenze.
- 'Do you remember how to use the herbs?' he asked. 'Make some fire, focus, and when you're ready, throw them in the fire, the smoke will help sharpen your foreseeing abilities.'
- 'I remember,' she answered in a smile. 'Thank you, Firenze, for your kindness, for your support, for the herbs. Thank you for being my friend.'
- 'Thank you for saving my life, our lives, risking yours doing so, thank you for considering us as equals to you.'
- 'I told you, differences don't mean better or worse. We all have strengths and weaknesses, each one their own, it's what we do with it that matters. I think you saw on Sunday night that we can work together to reach a same goal.'
- 'We all saw that, yes,' the blond Centaur said. 'Are you all right now? Professor Dumbledore told us you would be fine, but I wanted to be sure.'
- 'I'll keep a scar on my arm, but that's fine, I guess. A good starting point to create a legend,' Kate joked. 'As you see, I'm well. They removed my cast after lunch, so I can finally walk again. I was thinking about visiting you tonight to say goodbye before the holidays, I guess it's not needed any more.'
- 'I hope to see you again after the holidays, Kate,' said Firenze, embracing the young witch. 'May Fate be as kind with you as you are with us.'
It created a nice warm feeling inside the young witch's chest, something peaceful, a quiet confidence to walk away with this wish from a friend.
- 'May Fate hold a safe path for you and your herd, my friend,' she answered, stepping back and holding the Centaur's hands. 'Take care of you.'
Firenze turned away and the whole group of Centaurs walked back to the Forest. Kate stood there, watching them walking away. When she heard Fred and George stepping closer, she turned around and saw that a few Professors – Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sprout, Snape – and students had gathered in front of the porch.
- 'You're all right?' asked George.
- 'Yeah. We should go back to the Great Hall, isn't it supposed to be the end of year feast tonight?'
All walked back to the Great Hall, decorated in green and silver, as Slytherin won the House Cup after winning the quidditch cup. Gryffindor wasn't much behind, Kate thought she had done her part, winning a few hundred points over the school year, she had at least compensated the points lost by Fred and George. The quidditch team had gathered again around the three twins, they listen-ed to Dumbledore's speech in silence. He talked about loyalty, friendship, about how important it was to be there for friends in times of need. Kate listened, holding Fred's hand, her head resting on George's shoulder.
Once he was done, food appeared on the table, they enjoyed a last time such a plentiful meal at school. After dessert, they talked a bit longer, then Kate stood up. The twins followed the move, as did the quidditch team, Lee and Katie, and even Alec and Kyle at the Hufflepuff table. In the Entrance Hall, a few boys left to fetch butterbeer for all while the others went back to the Lake. There was no need to hide in the willow tree's shadow any more, so they sat right beside the water.
Kate sat beside Ainsworth, as the twins were the leaders of the butterbeer expedition. She asked him what were his plans now that he was done with school, he wanted to travel before anything else, not knowing yet if he wanted to study further or to start working immediately. He thought of visiting Charlie in Romania on the way. Oliver, Ethan, Fred and George came back and sat around these two, offering bottles of butterbeer to everyone upon arrival. The group came closer together as the day was ending. That was a perfect evening to finish an eventful school year.
Shortly before ten, they walked back to the castle, the two Hufflepuff wished the whole Gryffindor group to have a good night, and they all went to their Common Room. They still had to pack everything, so all went immediately to their dormitory.
After breakfast, Dumbledore told the students that they should gather in the Entrance Hall, carriages would bring them to Hogsmeade Station. When it was time for Kate and her friends to go out, she was rather surprised.
- 'What are these strange winged horses pulling the carriages?'
- 'What horses?' asked the twins.
- 'The ones pulling the carriages. Don't you see them?'
- 'No,' said Fred awkwardly. 'What do they look like?'
- 'They're black, they have bat-like wings, they seem to be only skin and bones, their faces look somewhat like dragons and it seems like they have white empty eyes.'
- 'That's thestrals!' said Ainsworth's voice behind her. 'You'll learn about them in Care of Magical Creatures. If you see them, it means you have witnessed death and came to term with it.'
- 'Oh, all right. I guess I'm happy you can't see them, then,' Kate said, looking at her friends.
The four friends chose an empty compartment in the train and sat together, quietly. Soon after the train left, Alec and Kyle arrived and asked if they could join them. They moved away all clothes and luggages that were in the way and cuddled themselves on the seats. They played explosive snap the whole trip, stopping to buy sweets from the trolley, and each time someone was coming to talk to them, what was quite often, as all their friends came around. Shortly before arriving, Kate went to the toilets and transformed herself in a blond version of herself, with nice bronzed skin and blue eyes.
Once at King's Cross, it was time to say goodbye. Kate was quite emotional. She never thought she would have friends she would miss during the holidays. They all left the train with their trunks, the young witch left hers on the platform to hug Alec and Kyle, wishing them to have a nice time during summer. Then she walked away with Fred and George. Molly greeted the three of them warmly, she was there with the twins' younger siblings. Percy was the last one to arrive. As they were about to leave, someone ran to them. It was Ainsworth.
- 'Take care of you, Kate. I'm happy I had the chance to get to know you. You're an amazing person. And you two, make sure she doesn't risk her life again.'
- 'You know there's nothing we can do to stop her when she's decided,' smiled Fred.
- 'She's risking her life only when others are in danger, so it should be fine at home,' said George.
- 'Take care of you too,' Kate finally answered. 'And if you do visit Charlie, give him a hug from me. Don't say it, do it, really. Words won't be enough,' she said with a smile.
- 'All right, I'll do,' he laughed.
Then he hugged the young witch and left to join his family. Molly was waiting for them, the whole family gathered around her and they put themselves on the way to the place where Kate would be home for at least a summer.