Chapter 20: Fainting and Fighting
The next class was Herbology. Kat was vaguely aware that Fred loved Herbology with a passion, but he never spoke about it like young Neville did.
They all met in Greenhouse number 4 before Pomona Sprout came in.
"Did anyone win the Liquid Luck?" Kat asked, trying to keep a lighthearted tone in her voice.
Boston nodded and red crept up her neck.
"Cedric then?" Kat asked with a knowing arch to her eyebrow.
Boston looked away for a moment but nodded anyway.
"Lucky git," Fred commented.
"Best that no one is playing Quidditch this year," George added.
Kat rolled her eyes. They were still sore that Hufflepuff beat Gryffindor last year because Harry fell off his broom.
Boston shot a glare at the boys.
George put his hands up in surrender. "Sorry Boston, but you know Diggory doesn't need any luck."
Boston tossed her hands in the air and let out a silent sigh. Kat knew it was more of a nice gesture on her end. Boston could hold a grudge like none other but for some reason chose not to fight this one.
Kat eyed George for a moment. It seemed that taking Boston to the Quidditch World Cup did some good. At least everyone was getting along for the moment.
"Alright class, this term we will be working with Aconite," Pomona announced. "Now as you know, the Aconite plant, more commonly known as Wolfsbane, is used to make the Wolfsbane Potion that can help a werewolf ease their transition around the full moon. The flower is used in the potion while the root itself is used in poisons."
Kat knew all about the strange purple flower for various reasons. She still couldn't make the Wolfsbane Potion as it was a protected potion and therefore the formula wasn't public knowledge. It's hard to collect all the galleons on potion sales when anyone can make it themselves at home.
Though, Severus knew how to make that damned potion, not that he would teach anyone. Wanker.
"We will be learning how to properly care for and harvest the flower and the root. Professor Snape will be looking over it and has offered to teach the student who provides the best specimens how to brew Draught of Living Death as well as Wolfsbane Potion." Pomona had to be joking. That was something Kat had always wanted to learn.
Of course, that meant that she had to do well in Herbology, and that was difficult on a good day. Hermione had once described her as having a black thumb, whatever that meant. All Kat knew is that she killed plants more often than not.
"Oh Godric, I want that," Kat mused to herself.
"Why's that Kitty Kat?" Fred asked. He had gone back to the playful banter they had with each other and Kat was thankful.
She shrugged. "Maybe I like potions, despite the professor."
"Is that what it is?" George asked, an amused smile on his face. "I always thought you had a thing for Slime Ball Snape."
Kat made an exaggerated gagging sound and everyone laughed around her.
Later that day, the group went to Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Alastor Moody. They had heard from the seventh years in passing that Moody was very intense.
Kat and Boston sat side by side with Fred and George sitting at a table behind them. Cedric was sitting with another Hufflepuff a table away and Boston kept glancing over at the tall boy. Kat grinned at her best friend.
Fred tapped Kat on the shoulder and she turned in her chair to look at him.
"You know, I hear he's off his rocker," Fred whispered and Kat laughed. Anyone who took the cursed DADA job had to be a bit crazy.
"I heard they stopped letting him be an Auror," George chimed in.
"I heard he's cursed more people now that he's retired than he did on the job," Lee piped up from the table next to the twins.
"Eyes front!" Alastor Moody's voice boomed through the class as he limped into the classroom.
The whole class felt quiet as he made his way to the front board and wrote his name as if no one knew it.
"First thing you will learn in this class is constant vigilance." Alastor started into a speech on how you needed to have eyes in the back of your head. He took a long swig from his personal flask and winced at the liquid within.
"Ministry is full of a bunch of pansy arses that don't think you lot ought to know about all the dark and spooky things creeping in the night, waiting to strike. I say, you need to be prepared."
He wrote Unforgivable, on the board and chucked the piece of check down on his very messy desk.
"How many Unforgivable curses are there?"
Many hands shot up.
"You," Alastor pointed towards somewhere behind Kat's left ear.
"Johnson, Sir." Alastor grunted and she continued. "There are 3 Unforgivable Curses."
"What are they?" More hands shot up.
"The Imperius, the Cruciatus, and The Killing Curse," Angelina answered.
Boston stiffened slightly beside Kat and she reached under the table and gripped her friend's hand.
Alastor went somewhere behind his desk and removed a horrid-looking bug from a glass jar.
"Engorgio," he whispered and the bug doubled in size in his hand. Then, to Kat's shock, he said, "Imperio."
An Unforgivable. He had cast an Unforgivable right there. The bug danced around the classroom and many students laughed as it bounced on other's heads. A Slytherin girl actually screamed when it landed too close to her.
"This curse makes the subject amenable to the caster's instructions. Unlike the other two curses, you can train your brain against this curse." The bug landed on Boston's hand and the girl didn't move. She stared Alastor down and then slowly moved her stone-cold expression to the bug who looked to be trembling. Her face softened as she beheld the poor creature.
Alastor moved the bug away from Boston and continued, "There were many who said they only did You Know Who's bidding under the Imperius Curse. But here's the rub. How do we sort out the liars?"
Kat turned to look at Fred and George with pleading eyes, but they were both enraptured by Alastor.
Alastor then demonstrated Crucio on the poor creature. For something so small, Kat could still hear it screaming. She felt ill and dizzy. Kat looked to Boston for support, but the girl was pale and her green eyes were glued to the front. But there was no anger, just terror.
She needed to leave. She needed to take Boston with her. Kat knew that this was only going to end one way.
And then it did.
Kat couldn't hear the spell over the blood pumping in her ears, but she saw the green flash, saw the poor insect drop, unmoving. Saw Boston do the same.
Kat was out of her seat in an instant, rushing to Boston's side. Fainted. Fainted. Had to have fainted.
Kat couldn't find her voice as Alastor's rang out, "What happened?" She could hear the thumping of his wooden leg edging closer but no, no he was not going to touch her, not after what he did.
And so he didn't. No one did.
Kat could hear something, but it was so distant. She pulled out her wand and cast a small diagnostic spell on Boston, the only one she knew. But she could see she was breathing and that was good. That was fine. She was fine.
There was a shattering sound somewhere and Kat looked up to see herself and Boston surrounded by the Twins, Cedric, Lee, and Angelina. Someone was arguing with Alastor, but it didn't matter.
"Need to get her to Poppy," Kat said quietly. Cedric whirled around at the same time George did.
"What was that, darling?" George asked, kneeling down next to her.
Kat looked at him, but he was a little blurry. "She needs to go see Poppy," she whispered. George just nodded, moving to lift Boston into his arms, but Kat moved to block him.
"Hey," George said gently, rubbing a thumb against Kat's cheek, wiping away water. She must have been crying. "It's okay. I'll take her. It's okay."
Kat nodded and leaned away, resting her back against the table leg. George carefully lifted Boston into his arms, her dark hair catching around her face, obscuring her. She watched as George exited the room.
Taking a shuddering breath, Kat finally looked towards the rest of the classroom who was either staring at her or the verbal fight that was currently going on between Alastar and Fred.
"I am not responsible for the weak links in this class," Alastor said.
Kat stood then, swaying slightly as her head felt too light and too heavy all at once. "What did he say?"
Lee was at her elbow, steadying her. "You should go to the hospital too, Warner."
Kat ripped her arm out of his hold and stumbled into Fred, trying to push him out of the way to get to the old broken man. "What the fuck did he just say?"
"No one is forcing her to be in this class. If she faints again, I will have her removed." Alastor's strange magic eye whorled to look at Kat, while the normal eye was still looking at Fred.
"Weasley," Cedric said. Fred glared at the Hufflepuff. Cedric tilted his head towards Kat and Fred's eyes landed on the small, angry girl, shaking and struggling to stay on her feet. "Get her to the hospital."
"I'm going to see McGonagall about this," Alicia said from somewhere behind Kat.
Kat moved quickly, but not quick enough. Pointing her wand at Alastor was instinct, but apparently he had the instinct to disarm quicker than she moved.
"Expelliarmus." His voice was calm as he spoke, like when he was using the Unforgivables in class. Her wand flew into his hand and Kat felt a crackle in the air. Fred hadn't moved to stop her. He had shoved his hands into his pockets and was staring Alastor down.
It was Angelina who had grabbed Kat around the middle before she could launch herself at the old man and picked her up, dragging her out of the classroom.
Fred stood his ground, even as everything in his body was begging him to follow the wailing Kat out of the classroom. But no, he would just drag her into another broom closet and she would hate him even more. He wouldn't have cared. He would have let her take her anger out on him in any way she wanted. Hitting, hexing, kissing, it didn't matter. He would be there to take away her pain.
But no, he was going to stand there until he couldn't hear her anymore.
"Mate?" Lee asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Fred took a breath. "Diggory, go check on Boston. Lee, go check on Kat. I will go talk to Dumbledore with Alica."
Moody tried to stop them. "I didn't dismiss you."
Fred glared at the Professor. "We are leaving, and if you stop us, I will bring Kat back in here to deal with you. Lee get her bloody wand."
He stormed out of the classroom, turning abruptly to punch the stone wall. He felt the pain shoot up his arm and shook out his fist, blood dripping on the ground.
"You should be the one to go see Kat," Lee said behind him, trying to hand him her wand.
Fred waved him off. "No. I can't be around her right now."
"Why?" Diggory asked. He did not want to deal with the damned Hufflepuff right now.
Fred groaned. "She's pissed and not thinking right. I mean you saw that freaking bubble of protection she put up around Boston and her, it was the same one from last year with the Bogart." Fred ran a hand through his long hair. "I don't want to ever see her like that again."
Lee just nodded. "I think Johnson took her to the hospital, so I'll go there with Diggory. You walk this off mate, George can't see you like this." Lee fixed him with a look.
Fred rested his head against the cool stone of the wall. "I know."