- You know, we got scolded by mom again - Ron said mournfully as he entered the Black family library, where Harry and Hermione were dusting books - By Percy.
- And what did you do to him this time? Harry asked, tossing the cloth aside and taking a break.
- The point is, nothing! We just walked over to him with Fred and George. But he immediately screamed and flew to his mother with a denunciation!
- Truth, how terrible? "Hermione cast." He didn't want to politely wait until you told him about the case you had for him. The pinnacle of insolence!
- Exactly! - He picked up Ron completely immune to such a subtlety as irony - Mum had a terrible row. It's unfair! But family is a terrible thing.
- Who would have thought?
"What's the matter, Hermione?" Brothers can be really scary at times. You can't stand them. For example, Percy. He is complaining about something, sulking and refusing to talk to us. He thinks he is better than us! When he sees us, it slips out of our sight! Monstrous!
Harry and Hermione shook their heads in pity. The Weasley siblings were quite wrong about the situation. If Percy got out of their way, it wasn't because he despised them. But because he tried with desperate determination not to fall back into the cogs of the holy brotherly right to torment his older brother. This sacred tradition was followed by all the Weasleys with great zeal.
- It's a torment with siblings, isn't it?
"I don't know," Harry said. "I've never checked it out."
"We'll talk soon," Ron chuckled. Hermione grew serious.
"I hope you get along with Catherine," she said anxiously.
"Me too," he muttered doubtfully.
The news of his sister shocked him deeply. He wasn't expecting her. Until now, he did not know what to expect. He felt dizzy. Just like his friends. He would never forget the expressions on their faces when he conveyed the news to them. They stood surprised, not knowing what to say. They didn't believe him, and probably still everyone thought that Catherine Joanne Potter was a joke.
"And I wonder what Voldemort wanted with her?"
Ron flinched and jumped. His head hit the shelf, and the books crashed to the floor.
- What is it about? Harry was surprised. "Don't say that!"
- Why?
- Because no!
Harry smirked.
"Voldemort," he repeated.
- Stop! Here it is usually said You - know - Who!
"Well, yes ..." Harry hesitated, as if, "but I ..."
"Oh, okay," Ron interrupted, "But it is said here."
"So how? '' Harry didn't give up. - You know who!
- And not Volde ...
Hermione laughed.
"Hilarious," Ron muttered. Ha, Ha, Ha. I haven't had so much fun in my life.
- Ron! - Mrs. Weasley stood in the doorway. - How's your cleaning going?
Ron looked around at the pile of books.
"Great," he said without stammering. "We're almost done."
He did not mention, however, that in three days they did not even come out of the first shelf.
- That's good! - The mother was pleased - I think that Harry and Hermione will be able to handle it on their own. Because you have to also wash the hall floor, dust off the paintings, clean the ancestral silverware, clean the attic ...
- In a second! - Ron was indignant at the vision that was spread just before him - And Fred and George?
- They're gone. They hid somewhere. Ginny helps me make dinner. We're in a hurry, because Harry's sister is coming soon.
- Already? Harry was surprised.
- Yes. And Ron ... We still have to get to the basements and ... - And Percy? Ron growled.
"You know very well that Hagrid is putting a cast on him!" - It's not my fault! Himself fell down the stairs!
- And who was chasing him?! - Mother got angry - Stop making excuses and start cleaning! You still have to take away all those empty wine barrels that litter the house. You'd think that at Order Headquarters of the Phoenix, we wouldn't do anything else but still drink. Once you're done with this ...
- Should I clean the gaps in the floorboards with a toothbrush? Ron made no secret of his reluctance to his newest responsibilities.
- Not necessarily, but if you want ... - BING BANG!
- DIRTY DOGS! - A portrait of Mrs. Black screamed - SHOULD TAKE OUT MY FATHERS 'HOUSE !
- Ah! - Mrs. Weasley forgot about her son. - They are here!
And she hurried out of the room.
- Wounds! I thought he wouldn't come off, Ron sighed.
- But you guess you go there to help? Hermione asked.
- Are you crazy?! - Ron got scandalized - No way! Anyway, because of all the commotion that must have happened there ...
- NEVER! - Suddenly someone from below yelled - NEVER ! I DO NOT AGREE!
"... sure my mom doesn't even remember me anymore," Ron finished slowly.
Friends looked at each other in surprise and listened with curiosity.
- NEVER! BUT THIS IS NEVER ! NEVER, NEVER, NEVER IN LIFE !
"I think it's Moody," Harry remarked in surprise.
- But Alastor - they heard Dumbledore's voice - Can you please explain to us what ...
- NEVER! - Now that scream was heard all over the house - HAVE YOU HEARD DUMBLEDORE?! NEVER!
- I wonder what's up with them? Hermione looked interested.
- It's probably clear - They heard behind their backs - Certainly about me.
Harry turned instantly.
Catherine was leaning against the library door. Green eyes watched them curiously. Harry was amazed to note that if it hadn't been for her jet black hair, his sister would have looked exactly like his mother. Cat was a little shorter and smaller than Harry. But neither did she seem to allow herself to be taken lightly. Her eyes said it ...
There was silence in the room. Harry was confused and didn't quite know what to say. And Hermione and Ron were on their knees in the pile of scattered books, speechless, mouths open. Their intrigued glances, every now and then, ran to Harry, once to his sister.
The girl entered the room and stood in front of her brother.
-Hi - She dropped - I'm Catherine. For friends, of course. My enemies know me as Black Cat because, as they say, my soul is darker than Hell.
The three of them were still staring at her, speechless, bewildered.
- I can dig if I want. - She continued her unusual greeting. - If someone falls over me, it's bad with him. And I'm here now because I didn't want to play a teary cut-scene for everyone down here.
They were still staring at her wordlessly, like three matching columns of salt.
- There is nothing worse than doing something in public, right? I guess you agree with me?
Harry nodded.
The girl frowned.
-But you guys can talk? She asked impatiently.
They nodded silently in agreement.
- That's great. Because I already thought there was something wrong with me. I warn you that, although I know eight foreign languages, now I was careful to speak English. I don't think I lost anything in Swahili?
Still silence. Cathy sighed.
- After your reactions you can see my joke has become blunted recently - she muttered - You won't even ask how was my trip?
Harry looked at her questioningly.
- Thank you, not very interesting. I'll tell you the details later, because I don't want to be inappropriate. I'm mad!
- Why? Ron blurted out.
- Ah! You can speak? Excellent! - The girl smiled mockingly. At least one thing! I just did not like the comfort of the means of travel. I guess the rest of us were downstairs, too. There's a row in the kitchen. Your friend is arguing with an old man that he will never undertake this kind of action again. And this one is lying on the couch, disheveled, sipping headache powders. And the third one, Lupine, right? Well, he said he'd be screaming a little louder than usual this month. And no one will forbid him.
- What did you do to them? Harry became interested. The daze was already passing through him.
- Wow! You can talk too! Well! I did nothing for them. I just explored London without consulting them. And they obviously have some sort of trauma to their search.
- Are you here for the first time?
- In London, yes. I wanted to go earlier - without consulting Madame Maxime, of course - with the Beauxbatons delegation, but I couldn't. Muggle cops locked me in for two weeks the day they left. I was unnecessarily stealing a police car then.
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.
- When did you find out about me? She asked Harry.
- Two days ago. Dumbledore told me. And you about me?
"Tonight," she said, "But know I am not in the habit of giving up everything just because someone has burdened me with this very joyful news." I had no choice. If it weren't because I am chased by the entire criminal world of Paris, to which I owe a lot of money, I would not even have thought of you.
The very sarcastic tone struck Harry in the girl's voice. He felt as if she disliked him. He felt angry. He also did not insist on meeting her in the end.
"You can see you like to be clear," Hermione said coolly.
- Truth? Ah! I guess I didn't forget to tell you I don't like public tearful scenes?
"You haven't forgotten." Hermione's tone was already icy cold. "In fact, you're repeating yourself. I understand we have to go away?
- Bingo! People in this house can think!
"You know, I don't like your taunts," Hermione got up from the floor. "I don't care why you do this, be it because of your complexes or because you are alone in a strange circle and far from home." But I will not allow it. Not for me and not in this house.
- Really? Catherine's voice was saturated with irony and venom. "But it just so happens that this is not your home and I can ...
"Neither yours," Harry reminded her as he stood next to his friends. "I will not let you talk to them like that." Even if you are my sister!
- Oh, my! Here comes Harry Potter, the famous defender of the oppressed - she mocked - What? They can't take care of themselves?
- These are my friends!
- Wait! Ron joined the action. He stood between the newly minted siblings - Can't you make up? Maybe...
"Get out," Cathy snapped. "If you don't want to have unexpected facial plastic surgery, get out!"
- You know?! - He rose indignantly.
He was about to say something else when the enormous battle ax whistled through the air and slammed into the wall an inch from his left ear.
All three eyes widened in horror. Rona soon gave up the desire for peaceful interventions.
- Are you crazy?! Harry screamed as he regained his voice, "You almost killed him!" You could have missed !
- Well, I missed! - Catherine yelled.
"Crazy," Ron muttered under his breath, pale as a wall. The girl was thirsty for his blood.
- How dare you?! Hermione was frothing with anger. She pushed Catherine away from Harry and Ron. "What are you doing?! You act like a little girl trying to prove to everyone how amazing she is! How do you have to resort to such ways? What are you worth ?!
- Ah, you ...! Cat yelled, spat out a torrent of French curses and lunged at Hermione. They both burst into the cupboard next to it. The clatter of books dropped to the floor would wake the dead.
- Girls, what are you?! "Harry was frightened." You can't! Don't fight !
And yet that was what they were doing. His sister, he had to admit, was very adept at it. Within moments, he could hear the screams of pain and the gasp of Hermione being choked. He caught Ron's eyes over the tumult. Ron, still scared and pale upon closer inspection of the steel blade, nodded hesitantly. After a while, they desperately tried to separate the girls. Unfortunately. They lost control of the situation.
- POTTER! Professor McGonnagal's sharp voice brought them back to reality. The teacher stood in the doorway with fury all over her face. Lightning flashed through his eyes. Ron stopped screaming and swinging his ax over his head. Hermione moved away from Catherine and both of them shakily got to their feet. Harry quickly let go of his sister's hair, for which he had been pulling her away from Hermione. He looked at the teacher's face and swallowed loudly. He knew what the fight must have been like and what Minerva McGonnagal might have been thinking. Three of them against one Catherine. The hosts against the guest.
- Potter, Granger and Weasley! - The teacher's voice cut like a whip - How are you not ashamed ?!
- But ... - Be quiet, Weasley! I am not interested in your twisted translations! - She growled - Follow me! We have to talk.