The Ties That Bind (2/?)
By: Shendra
Shendraz421@aol.com
Category: Romance/Mystery/Drama
Keywords: Snape, Voldemort, Draco, telepathy, 7th year
Rating: R
Spoilers: All four Books
Summary: An old friend falls back into Snape's life, only to mysteriously disappear again. Voldemort returns, demanding loyalty this time around. Will he ever be defeated? Will Kate ever be found? Will Snape ever get laid?
This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Kevin and Kate are mine, so if you want to use them, let me know first, mmkay?
CHAPTER TWO
Two hours later, Severus and Katie were sitting in Dumbledore's office, having explained every detail of what had happened. The fireplace was alight with softly flickering flames, illuminating everyone's worn faces. Katie stared into it silently, kneels pulled up to her chest.
Severus watched her out of the corner of his eye, studying how her hand shook ever so slightly as she wiped her tear-streaked cheeks.
"Sir?" he said softly, glancing over at Dumbledore, "Where is Katie going to be staying tonight?"
"What? I can't go home?" Katie's eyes were wide with shock and disappointment etched across her delicate features.
"I'm afraid not, Miss Hillian. There have been… rumors of dark activity rising again lately. After what happened today, I can't allow you to go back into the Muggle world where there will be no protection for you." Dumbledore walked around his desk and paused between the chairs that Severus and Katie sat in.
"Severus, do you still have that house out by the mountains?"
"Yes sir, but I haven't lived there in over five years…You're not actually considering sending Katie there, are you?"
"Well, it would be safe, away from Muggles. And she would have the added protection of no one knowing where she was…" Dumbledore reasoned calmly.
Katie blinked at them. "No!" Both men looked over at her, surprised. "Er," she muttered quietly, and bowed her head. "I don't want to be alone…"
Severus glanced over at Dumbledore who was still deep in thought. "Sir, maybe she could stay here? There aren't many safer places, no one would dare touch her here."
"Hmm…" Stepping between Katie and the fireplace, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Miss Hillian, would you consider residing here for.. erm, a while?"
Resisting the urge to question him, Katie just nodded silently. After today's events, she just wanted to sleep. Her body felt drained of all energy, all emotion, and she would do anything to be able to go to bed right now. Twenty minutes later, she got her wish.
*****
Dumbledore had arranged for a spare bedroom to be cleaned up by the house elves. They made the bed, started a fire, and gave her some things to get settled in. A towel, two spare sets of robes, a toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, shampoo and other necessities lay forgotten on the chair by the bedroom door as she stripped down to her undergarments and got into bed.
Immediately, the soft folds of the blankets enveloped her and she felt herself drifting off into dreamland. Just before she lapsed into a deep sleep, Katie heard the door to her bedroom creak open and soft footsteps coming to a stop next to her bed.
*****
And she dreamed….
It was as if she was watching an old movie from her past, memories replaying before her. They seemed so familiar, but then again, not.
Katie watched as her former self walked with another girl down a dark street, talking and laughing. They turned a corner and the former Katie told a joke. As the two girls laughed at the punch line, a cloaked man leapt out at them from the darkness of an alley between two stores. He grabbed them and threw them both to the ground, shouting a slurred incantation which sent ropes out to bind the girls' hands and feet.
Katie watched all this from her standpoint behind it all, unable to move or do anything to help the girls. She watched helplessly as the man robed in black with a covered hood over his face take advantage of the red-haired girl. Her former self was bound in thick rope, forced to watch as well, sobbing in pain for her friend, and in fear of what was going to happen to her.
When the man finished with her friend, both Katie's couldn't help but stare at her lifeless body, face streaked with tears and dirt. Somehow she had managed to get away from her pain, The former Katie had broken free from her ropes, having somehow managed to untie them, and scrambled up to her feet. The Death Eater was faced away from the real Katie, but she remembered the look of drunken shock on his face at seeing her unbound. She remembered the sting of his slap when he had recovered. Raising his wand, he had meant to finish her off, but something happened.
"Adava Keda-"
"NO!!" both Katie's screamed, the dream one jumping onto the Death Eater and shoving him to the ground. What happened next, neither of them saw. A bright flash of light, and the dream faded quickly away into reality.
"Katie! Katie, wake up!" she felt hands on her shoulders, shaking her awake, and felt the hot tears streaming down her cheeks. Her forehead was practically dripping with a cold sweat. She had been screaming in her sleep, struggling with her nightmare. Leaning forward, she realized she had sat up with a jolt.
"Katie, are you alright?" the gentle voice cut through her thoughts, and she opened her eyes. It was night time, and the fireplace had dimmed to merely a flicker. In the near darkness, though, she could just make out Severus's worried face staring back at her. He was kneeling on the bed near her feet, having leaned over to shake her awake.
Looking at him, Katie took in his shabby appearance, noting his worn features. His three-day-old stubble added at least 10 years to his face, along with the stress lines in his forehead and the dark circles under his eyes, indicating many sleepless nights. His hair was longer than she remembered it being in school, having grown a few inches since. It certainly hadn't looked that greasy back then. She stared at him and smiled. He was kinda cute, in a rugged older-man kind of way. They had always been close in age, but right now, he seemed so much older. Reaching out to touch his cheek with her fingertips, she used her other hand to instinctively pull the sheets around up to her shoulders.
He took her hand in his and kissed her palm, smiling weakly. "What did you dream about?" he inquired, still looking worried.
She shook her head and looked past him into the fireplace where the logs cast a flickering glow out over the chairs in front of it. "Nothing," she whispered, her voice still hoarse from screaming in her sleep. "It was nothing." She couldn't worry him with her petty nightmares. He had enough to think about.
Clearing her throat, Katie looked back at him, staring into his deep black eyes. Ever since he'd come back into her life earlier, memories of him had followed. It had been years since she'd even thought of him, having blocked most of her past from her mind so long ago, but now… He looked pretty much the way she would have expected him to, if she had given any thought to it, except much, much older. In the past, she remembered being able to read him almost as well as she could read herself, but now there were walls behind his eyes. Walls that she recognized as the trademark of Slytherins.
As she was studying his face, she noticed his eyes trailing down over her body. She followed his gaze and immediately blushed. In her haste and distraction, she'd forgotten that her clothes were on the floor near the foot of the bed, leaving her with nothing to wear but her black and gray bra and matching underwear.
"Oh gosh… oh.. I forgot.. uh, could you, uh…" Gesturing at Severus to stand up so she could get up and get her clothes, she tugged the sheets up further. He stood up, and turned away so she could get dressed, and for that she was thankful.
*****
While he waited, Severus couldn't help but think about the creamy ivory color of her skin, the few freckles on her shoulders and the way her hair framed the delicate features of her face. He shuddered, trying to clear his thoughts, but it didn't work. Staring straight ahead, he noticed a mirror at the other end of the room, facing him. Reflected in it's depths, Severus stood stiffly, his arms folded across his chest, and his black robes wrinkled from the night's sleep. Just over his shoulder, Katie was dressing slowly, opting for a set of plain black robes that the house elves had left for her. She had pulled her hair back with a small rubber band and it hung in waves over her shoulders. He watched her silently as she pulled on her socks, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Severus," she said softly when she had finished dressing, and he turned to face her.
As if reading her mind, he could see the question clearly on her face: 'What do we do now?'. She seemed to be having problems forming it into words, but in the end, she just sighed and looked at her feet.
"I'm sure Dumbledore will want to see you tomorrow after breakfast," Severus said softly, crossing the room to the door. "It's late, already past dinnertime. If you're hungry… well, come to my office in the dungeons. I'm going to take a shower right now, but I'll be there in half an hour." She nodded, and he left, closing the bedroom door quietly behind him.
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The days flew by quickly, as July turned into August, and the trees turned lovely shades of brown, orange and yellow. Katie struggled to adjust to living at Hogwarts, but it wasn't easy. Even though she'd mailed in her resignation at work, and even went to gather some of her things from her apartment, it was still tough. Since most of the teachers spent the summers either vacationing, visiting family, or just hibernating in their living quarters, Katie didn't have many people to talk to. Meals were ate quietly with Severus in his office, and the rest of the time was killed by wandering the halls, exploring rooms, or just reading in her bedroom.
Every three or four days, she would meet Dumbledore in his office to talk, mostly about her past and he would perform different memory-enhancing spells in a vain effort to help her remember. After a couple weeks of this, he began to show weariness and frustration.
Leaning back in his chair, Albus sighed. Katie sat across from him in the dark red chair, her elbows resting against her knees, with her head in her hands. Jet black tendrils entwined between her fingers as she thought hard.
"I had… a brother… a younger brother…" she looked up at Dumbledore, her dark eyes meeting his silver ones. "Didn't I?"
He nodded, but offered no information. Instead, he let her think about this, hoping she would remember on her own.
"He went to school with me, but he was different. Sick. We didn't talk much, but I loved him. He was a…. Gryffindor…"
Dumbledore nodded, and watched her work it out. As with looking at Severus, he could see her mind working behind the endless blue galaxy of her eyes. It was a fascinating sight, watching someone think.
"I can't remember anything else. I keep trying, but nothing wants to come back to me." Katie sighed and ran her hand through her hair.
"It's ok. I think we've done enough for tonight. We've certainly made some progress. Here," he said, handing Katie some chocolate. "You look tired. Eat this, or Severus will have my hide for wearing you down so much." Katie thought he looked a bit frightened of the mere mention of Severus's wrath, but then… the corners of his mouth twitched as if he was trying to hide a smile.
A knock at the door distracted Katie from her thoughts, and she turned to see Severus standing in the doorway.
"Professor," he said softly, in his trademark tone, "It's almost 4. I need to get to Diagon Alley soon. Do you have…" his voice trailed off as he glanced over at Katie.
She stared back at him, her weary gaze sweeping over his face, down his robes and back up again. He'd changed since she first saw him again. The stubble had disappeared, and he'd obviously gotten more sleep, as the dark rings under his eyes were almost gone. His robes, she noticed, were impeccably fitted, slim sleeves going all the way down his arms, and a collar just high enough to be considered conservative.
'Attractive,' she thought to herself and smiled. 'He could use a haircut, though.'
Do you always wear long sleeves in August? she thought to him.
A cold look flickered over his eyes, but disappeared almost immediately.
Yes.
Why?
I just do.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, cutting through the silence. He held a small package out to Severus without standing up, and nodded.
"I received it earlier today. When are you leaving?"
Severus looked away from Katie and down at the package. After a moment's hesitation, he responded. "Actually, that's up to Katie." Turning to Katie, he almost smiled, "Can you come to Diagon Alley with me tonight, Katie?"
"Why?"
"Because I need to do some shopping, and you do too. "
She thought about this for a minute, then nodded. "Alright. Right now?"
"If you can."
"I can."
She stood up, bid Dumbledore a farewell, and they left. They both had to get their coats, so Severus told her he would meet her in the Entrance Hall.
A few minutes later, she arrived to find Severus leaning against the doors, his arms crossed casually across his chest and staring into space. Wrapped around his body, he wore a long black cloak, and in the darkness of the dungeons, she supposed thatas useful for sneaking around.
A knut for your thoughts, Severus.
He started in surprise and looked over at her. His black eyes met hers and they stood there in silence for a moment before he responded.
You wouldn't want to know. Let's go.
Before Katie could even ask him about this, he pulled open the door and held it for her. Outside, the autumn air was crisp and breezy, leaves cascaded all around, some settling on the smooth surface of the lake. Others floated lazily down the path to the apparation point. Katie giggled when one drifted into Severus's hair, tangling itself. He frowned and she paused to gently pull it out, leaning in close. Being a Potions Master had certain advantages, like a heightened sense of smell, and right now, he could smell everything. He perfume, her shampoo, the leaves, her skin. Just as he was about to pull away, she stepped back, letting the leaf drift out of her hand.
"There," she said, smiling.
Her cheeks were red from the cool breeze, her hair a bit tangled. She looked back at him with a quizzical gaze, and he heard her voice in his head again.
Ready?
He smirked. Are you?
A mischievous grin appeared on her face and she replied. Race you there. Then she quickly disapparated. A second later, he had gone too.
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Credits go to the parties mentioned above, and even Cassandra Claire and J.L. Matthews, whose stories I've been reading lately, so if any of their quotes, ideas, or even characters make their way into here, it's their fault for writing their stories in such a way that it makes a permanent indent in your mind. Go read the Slytherin Rising stories by J.L. Matthews, and the Draco trilogy by Cassandra Claire. Go read them now and you WON'T be disappointed! So thank you, girls, for writing those wonderful, awesome, great stories and not being mad if any hint of those stories makes it into mine. In fact, if anyone wants to believe that I took my ideas for this story from them, that's fine, because they're wonderful writers, and to think that I am even close to being as good as them is an honor.
Thanks to BondageZebra, VisserV, and Weiss145 for reading this and helping me out with ideas and suggestions. If any of you want to beta read for me, email me at Shendraz421@aol.com or catch me on AIM: Annalvl.
Next chapter: Severus and Katie go shopping, Severus in pink robes!! Mysterious boxes a new wand for Katie. Is Severus falling in love?