The Ties That Bind (3/?)

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/Katie are mine, so if you want to use them, let me know first, mmkay? Corvus the raven came from J.L. Matthews… a great idea, if you ask me.

Credits at bottom.

CHAPTER THREE

Diagon Alley was full of students and their parents, rushing around before school started in two weeks. Severus and Katie tried to look inconspicuous as they made their way through the crowds and up the steps to Gringotts. Once inside, they had to stand in line for about five minutes, then finally stepped up to the counter. A goblin glared at them from over a stack of papers.

"Yes?" it sneered.

Severus cleared his throat. "We need to withdraw some money from our vaults."

"What number?"

"Five fourteen and five seventy-two."

Katie stared at Severus strangely but said nothing. The number 572 sounded familiar, but it couldn't possibly be hers, could it? And she didn't have a key…

"You have the keys, I assume?"

Pulling a long silver key from his robes, Severus smirked a little, then opened the small envelope that Dumbledore had given him back at the office, and pulled out a similar-looking key. After holding up the key for the goblin's inspection, he tucked it gently into Katie's hand. Katie shivered slightly as his fingertips brushed her palm.

"Alright, that seemed to be in order then." The goblin raised a knotty hand and beckoned another goblin over. "Show these two to their vaults, Lytha."

The second goblin hobbled away, through a set of thick, iron doors and down a set of stairs. It held the door open to a cart for Severus and Katie to get in, then hopped into the front seat. Turning to face them, he peered intently at the keys in their hands.

"What vaults?"

Severus replied stiffly, as if he didn't really appreciate this mode of transportation. "Vaults five fourteen and five seventy-two."

With a nod, the goblin pulled a lever, starting the cart down a long tunnel. Straight, left, right, right, straight, left… the directions were impossible to remember. Katie looked over at Severus, who stared straight ahead. His face was slightly more pale than usual, and she suspected he had motion sickness. They moved a bit faster down slopes and around curves, the centripetal force making it hard for Katie to stay on her side of the cart. Twice, she had to pull herself off of Severus's lap, but it didn't seem like he'd minded much. About ten minutes passed before they came to a quick stop in front of a large iron door with a heavy-looking handle. The goblin stepped out, stroked the door with a long knobby finger, and then stepped back. At once, the door appeared to melt away, revealing a smaller door in which a simple lock was displayed.

"Excuse me," Severus muttered, stepping over Katie to get to the door. He pushed his key into the lock and turned it slightly. *Click* Turning the small handle, Severus opened the door slowly. Inside were several large piles of bronze and silver coins, and a few larger piles of gold coins. A few handfuls later and they were on their way again, down another hallway, then pulling to a stop in front of a similar door.

The goblin stepped out to open this door, and Severus turned to Katie, taking her hands in his smooth grasp. He sighed and looked into her blue eyes full of wonder, searching for words.

"Katie," he began in a strained voice, "your parents… they uh… Before you disappeared, they started this account for you, and you put money in it from your paychecks when you worked for the Ministry."

"I worked for the Ministry?"

Severus nodded. "You were the assistant to one of the Hex Research Lab Technicians. It was a long time ago, so I don't expect you to remember… Anyways, when you disappeared, your parents kept putting money into this vault in hopes that you'd come back someday to get it. When they died, some of your family members took some of your possessions and put them in this vault, along with some of your mothers things… jewelry, I think. Maybe some dresses, or something, I don't know. I just heard this from Dumbledore who knew your family better then I did. If you don't want to see it, I understand. But I thought you should at least know." At this, his voice trailed off and he looked away, over at the door to her vault. It was a bit bigger than his vault, since it contained more than money, Katie was quiet for a minute, then stood up, letting go of his hands. She pulled the key from her robe pocket and placed it in the lock. Turning to look at Severus, she smiled slightly. A small twist of her wrist and the lock clicked.

Inside were large piles of coins, Knuts, Sickles and Galleons, mostly from her parents. On one side of the large vault, though, laid a couple large boxes. Katie kneeled beside these after putting a few handfuls of coins in her purse, and rested a hand on one of them. For a while, she just sat there in silence, staring at the lettering in black ink: Kate Hillian, vault five seventy-two. These were her things, she thought, her things and her parents' things. Her life was in these boxes, a life she couldn't remember, and yet someone had loved her enough to give here these things. Her hand shook as she raised it to wipe a few tears that had made their way down her cheek.

"Can I… bring these with me?"

Severus looked over at the goblin, who merely shrugged.

"I don't see why not. They're yours." Severus replied, moving over in his seat to make room.

When they got back to the surface, Severus carrying one box, Katie holding the other, Severus led her down the steps.

"We can take these to Madam Malkins and have her hold them while we do our shopping. We'll have to go back there anyways to pick up our robes. Is that ok with you?"

Katie nodded and followed him down the sidewalk, watching the smooth way he walked. His posture was impeccible, and his robes seemed to move as if guided by a perfectly coordinated breeze. She was so busy admiring his stature that she didn't even notice he'd stopped. In a surprisingly gentlemanly gesture, he held the door open for her to the robe shop.

"Thanks," she said, but it was drowned out by Madam Malkin cheerfully greeting them.

"Severus!" she almost shouted, "How lovely to see you! You haven't been in here for so long, how've you been?"

Katie set her box down next to a chair and sat down, watching as Severus shifted to shake Madam Malkin's hand. He then put his box on top of Katie's and went over to the counter.

"I've been quite fine, thank you. I'm going to need some new robes for this year, and Miss Hillian here needs some as well. Are you busy?"

Madam Malkin looked up from the young man she was pinning robes on. From her seat, Katie could see the look of fear in the young man's eyes as he looked at Severus, obviously recognizing him. Severus ignored him, however.

"I'm not too terribly busy, though it will be a minute before I finish with this laddie." Madam Malkin poked the young man with her wand and his robes shrunk a little to fit him better. She stepped back to examine him while Severus sat down next to Katie, hands in his lap and staring straight ahead. Katie was thankful for the moment of silence because it gave her time to think about the boxes some more. She wondered who would have put them in the vault for her, who would have cared about her enough to do that.

Then it came to her. "Of course!" she muttered quietly to herself, causing Severus to look over in surprise. "What?"

"I know who put the boxes in my vault… why didn't I think of it before?" She turned to look at him, but he stared back at her curiously.

"Who was it?"

"My brother! That is… if he's still alive… I don't remember much about him." Tapping her chin with her finger, she appeared to be deep in thought.

"Do you remember his name? Maybe who he was at all?" Severus didn't remember Katie mentioning a brother in all her years at Hogwarts. In fact, she hadn't talked about her family much at all since they met. He'd known she had parents, she had said they were wizards working for a book company. Her father had been an author, and her mother was the assistant to some publisher. But that was years ago… they had died about 8 years after Katie disappeared, but he didn't tell her that.

Katie thought hard. There was no name on the boxes besides her own, no hint as to who had left them for her, but somehow she knew who it had been. She just couldn't remember his name. They'd gone to school together, in the same year. She had been born almost a year after him, but they had still ended up together. They had been close before Hogwarts, but something, probably being in enemy houses, had kept them from hanging out together there. He'd been sick, somehow, but Katie couldn't remember how. She was quiet for so long, Severus thought she'd forgotten his question. Leaning over to touch her hand, he whispered, "Katie, are you ok?"

She started and blinked, as if realizing where she was. "Yes… I was just thinking. I can't remember who he was, I just know he must have left it for me."

Severus nodded as the young man left, looking terrified as he passed by them. Katie saw Severus smirk and roll his eyes then stand up. He was measured first, then fitted into long, plain black robes. Madam Malkin pinned them in all the right places, making sure they were just long enough, then she stepped back.

"All black again, Severus?" she said.

He nodded, but Katie stood up suddenly. "I think it's time for a change, don't you?" she said, her mouth twitching a little.

Severus stared at her, his eyes widening slightly. Madam Malkin gave him a once over, then nodded. "I think so too. Black can be so dull sometimes. Maybe a different color?"

She tapped the robes he was wearing with her wand and they immediately changed into a set of dark violet robes. "Hmm," she said thoughtfully, and Katie shook her head.

"No, I don't think that's his color. It makes him look…" but she couldn't think of the appropriate word. He did look good, of course. He would have looked good in anything, that's just how he was, but she didn't say that. It was time to have a little fun with him.

Severus glared, and Madam Malkin tapped the robes again. Blue. Bright blue. "Hmm," she said again, leaning back to take in his appearance.

Katie shook her head again, her black hair glistening in the light from the windows. "That's not his color either."

"You're right… it's just so hard to place men in robes these days." Madam Malkin grinned and tapped the robes. Teal. White. Yellow. Red. Maroon. Purple. Severus' face was getting redder and redder with each color change. Light Green. Brown. Orange. Tan.

"ALRIGHT!!!" he yelled, looking furious. Madam Malkin stopped tapping, leaving Severus standing in bright pink robes.

Katie stared at him, covering her mouth with her hand. Her cheeks were flushed from having to suppress her giggles, and her mouth twitched noticeably. Growling, Severus shook with anger.

"Get… Me… Out… Of… These… Robes..." He threatened.

"Here," Katie said quietly, and took Madam Malkin's wand. With one last look at Severus in pink, she closed her eyes and tapped the robes.

Feeling thoroughly humiliated, Severus hesitated before looking down. When he finally did, he was surprised to find himself in stunning robes of jet black and forest green. They were mostly black, but with a thin line of green jetting down his chest in a large V, and green around the cuffs and collar. He wondered for a split second why he never wore something like this, and looked up at Katie. She was staring at him with an odd look on her face, but he couldn't place it.

For a moment, she said nothing, then she finally spoke quietly. "Severus… you look… great."

He nodded, and she gave the wand back to Madam Malkin, who was busy gaping.

"The V-line over your chest is supposed to make your shoulders look a little wider. The different color around the cuffs, and the vertical gray threading implies power." Katie shrugged. "I read about it in a magazine a while back. I never really knew if it really worked… but I guess so…"

He stepped down, letting Madam Malkin help him take off the robes and went outside while Katie got hers. Women's robes, by nature, were always quite curve-hugging, and he didn't think it would be very good to watch her get fitted for them. Watching her get dressed on her first night back was… enlightening, and besides, she was a friend. Just a friend. Now if only he could keep telling himself this, all would be ok. After about ten minutes, she emerged, grinning slightly.

"She said to come back in about an hour, and the robes would be ready. She's had a lot of students to fit, so she couldn't do them right away."

He nodded, glaring at a couple of kids who passed by. The next stop was Flourish and Botts, where Severus said he had to pick up a new Advanced Potion's manual. His old one had finally fallen apart. Katie drifted down the aisles, pausing here and there, finally ending up halfway down the Dark Arts section before stopping and pulling a tattered book off the shelf. It had a dark green leather cover, and inscribed in thin silver letters was the title: The Darkness Within.

Flipping the cover open, she turned the pages. She was so engrossed with he pictures and descriptions of Dark Wizards that she didn't even notice Severus step behind her.

I wouldn't stand here for too long, if I were you. It wouldn't do for someone to notice Miss Hillian standing in the Dark Arts section, flipping through a book about hidden evil powers. His voice contained a tad bit of sarcasm, even when echoed into her head.

Severus smirked and Katie started, feeling him right behind her. Shutting the book quickly, she placed it back on the shelf and turned to face him.

Oh, and I suppose it would look just fine if it were you? She replied, the hint of a sneer on her face.

I'm sure that's what they'd expect of me. Let's go. He took her hand and led her out, having paid for his book already. They went to a few more shops and Severus picked up some things before stopping outside Knockturn Alley. Katie gave an involuntary shudder, which Severus noticed.

He turned to face her, giving her hand a squeeze. I have to get a couple things. I'll be right back. Wait here.

With that, he brushed his thumb over the back of her hand lightly before letting go and walking away. A simple gesture but it was still comforting. She sat down on a nearby bench, toying with the cuff of her robes and staring into space. Her eyes drifted lazily over the faces of students and parents, coming to rest on a set of familiar green eyes across the street. They belonged to a boy, about fifteen years old, with untidy black hair and round glasses. He was talking and laughing with a taller, red-haired boy and a bushy-headed brunette, both about the same age. She watched the kids as they sat outside the ice cream shop, laughing at something the red-haired boy just said. A few seconds later and they were joined by a whole group of red-haired people, two adults (probably the parents), two identical boys who looked about seventeen, and a young girl with long copper hair. The three kids stood up and greeted the arrivals, then took their empty ice cream bowls inside. When they returned, the red-haired family started to walk away, but the dark haired boy paused. He stood next to the brown-haired girl, scanning the crowd. Then their eyes met. Katie looked into those emerald eyes, and he stared back at her. The brunette tugged on his sleeve, ("Harry, come on! They're waiting!") but he continued to look at Katie.

It was difficult to explain the feeling that passed through Katie while looking at this boy. She felt sad, lonely, happy, confused, a dozen feelings at once. But what stayed long after he looked away was this feeling of familiarity, as if she had known him a long time ago.

"Katie." It was Severus, but she was too lost in her thoughts to hear him. Maybe the boy was a relative? She didn't think so. He seemed too young for her to have known in school…

Katie! He'd called her name a couple more times before she finally looked up.

"Hmm?" she replied, looking a bit dazed.

Severus glanced over his shoulder to see what she'd been staring at, but there were so many people, it was hard to tell what it had been. Turning back to her, he said, "Ready?" and she stood up to join him. They walked for a bit, not saying anything, and stopped outside Ollivander's, Fine Wand Makers.

Katie didn't have to ask what for. She hadn't seen her wand since… well, she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her wand. She did remember, however, the day she bought it. She'd been trying out almost every wand in the store before…

*****

(Twenty-six years ago…)

"Ah, yes…" Ollivander had said quietly, handing her a short, thin wand, black and shiny, after she had tried almost every other wand in the store it seemed.

From the moment it touched her hand, she felt warmth spread through her fingertips, up her arm, and all over. Raising it above her head, she couldn't help but feel the power coming from it. With a whoosh!, she waved it downwards, sending a stream of sparks that bounced off the walls and flew out the door. Lots of sparks, actually, of all different colors. Green, red, blue, and yellow… all twisting and spinning together. Katie stared at them as they twirled upwards and out of view, much to the surprise of the passerby.

"Wow," she had whispered.

"Indeed. I have never, in all my years, seen that happen. Very curious. 9 inches, black walnut.. with a raven feather as a core… That particular raven only produced three wands." He had paused, looking curiously at the wand she held. Then, "Ravens are proud creatures, quite wise, and mysterious. They have been known to be good familiars for those with similar personalities… Do let me know how this wand works out for you, hmm?"

*****

(Present Day…)

Stepping through the door to Ollivanders, Katie felt the odd sense of déjà vu coming back to her. She felt eleven again, and wondered if Severus felt the same. Looking at him, she couldn't tell how he felt, he always looked indifferent. From the back of the store, there was the sound of footsteps, then Ollivander appeared from around the corner, carrying some small boxes.

"Ah!" he exclaimed cheerfully, "Welcome! Er… Have we met?" He stared at Katie with a piercing gaze, then glanced over at Severus.

"Severus! Oh yes.. hmm… 11 inches, dark ash, with a feather from a raven was it?"

Katie blinked and looked from Ollivander to Severus, who only nodded calmly. For a wild moment, she considered the possibility that their wands had shared the same core…

Ollivander smiled more brightly, but decided not to question Severus anymore. He then turned back to Katie and grasped his hands together.

"So you need a wand, eh? Hmm.." He appeared deep in thought for a second, then reached into his pocket for that familiar tape measure. After taking a few measurements, he went over to the shelf and pulled down several long, thin boxes. One by one, he took wands out and handed them to Katie, who merely waved them and set them down when nothing happened. A few dozen wands later, Severus gave a sigh and slumped down in his seat, staring straight ahead. Ollivander looked no less than excited though.

"A challenge, eh?" he mumbled to himself while pulling more boxes from their shelves. "Well, I've got all day.."

Katie was just hoping it wasn't going to take all day when she felt the warmth and power spread through her fingertips. Looking down, she saw that she was holding a short, light gray wand, and it was positively glowing in her hand. Instinctively, she brought it up above her head, and down again quickly, leaving a trail of sparks and mist in its wake. Red sparks, orange sparks, yellow sparks and green sparks, all swirled together. Having learned control when she attended Hogwarts, these sparks didn't shoot all over the place, they merely glittered and fell like dew, cascading down in front of them.

Severus sat up in his seat, while Ollivander mumbled to himself, "How curious, how very curious," then…

"Kate Hillian, was it? 9 inches, hazel with… my word.. a raven feather core.. Hmm…" His voice drifted off, and he stared at the wand.

Katie nodded, still staring down at the wand in her hand. She would bet her life that the wand she held was the third and last of the wands made with feathers from the same raven her old wand core had come from. The sound of Ollivander's muttering had only confirmed her beliefs.

"Well.. what do you know… wands are strange… very strange. How peculiar indeed that you would be fated with a raven feather from that particular raven… when the raven's owner is standing here with us."

Ollivander looked clearly at Severus, who stared back in almost disbelief.

"My wand…?"

"Her wand came from Corvus?" Severus stood up and walked over to Katie, gently taking her wand and examining it.

"Indeed. Her last wand had the other feather from him as well. And yours, I believe, has the third?"

Severus nodded. While he examined her wand closely, Katie paid Ollivander and chatted with him a little about wand cores. A few minutes later, Katie heard the door open behind her. A couple first years had stumbled in, needing wands. Severus and Katie excused themselves and left, heading back towards Madam Malkins.

"I never knew our wands shared the same cores." She said quietly as they walked.

"Interesting how the topic never came up." Severus walked with his hands in his robe pockets, staring straight ahead. Since they had left, he had gotten this distracted look on his face. Katie was amazed he even replied when she spoke.

They reached Madam Malkins in no time, seeing as how half of the crowd had dispersed earlier, probably for dinner. Again, Severus held the door open for Katie, then stepped in behind her.

"Ah!" Madam Malkin called from behind the counter, kneeling beside a boy and pinning his robes. "Come in! Your robes have been ready for a while now, I was hoping you'd be back soon. I'll be there in a second."

Severus took a seat near the door, while Katie walked over to her boxes to make sure they were ok. They were right where they had been when Katie had left, no sign of tampering either.

"You do realize," Severus said in a quiet voice from his seat, "that we'll have to take a carriage back to Hogwarts.. with all this stuff we have. It would be hard to apparate with all this to concentrate on."

Katie nodded and yawned. Shopping always took a lot out of her. A moment later and Madam Malkin appeared with their robes in her arms. She separated them into two piles, Katie's and Severus'. They paid, Katie paying a bit more because she'd gotten a couple cloaks as well, and left, taking the boxes and their robes. Catching a carriage was easy, since a lot of them waited like Muggle taxis just outside of town for people who needed rides.

It was a short bumpy ride back to Hogwarts, and although she couldn't possibly have fallen asleep, even if she'd wanted to, Katie found it easy to relax, leaning against Severus with her head on his shoulder while staring outside the window. The meadows and foliage had an odd, calming effect on her.

Severus sat uncomfortably next to Katie, resisting the urge to put his arm around her. He had to keep telling himself that she was just a friend, and even in the very, VERY small possibility that she had the slightest of feelings for him, in that way, it would never work out because they were such good friends. So he had to learn to be satisfied with just being friends. Not that it was very hard. He didn't have many friends, and with Katie, everything just came naturally.

They pulled up just outside Hogwarts when there was still a little light left. The sun was still setting, casting its beautiful orange and yellow rays over everything. Katie and Severus magically lifted their packages out of the carriage and into Hogwarts, then each to their own bedrooms. Katie had considerably more things to manage, with the two boxes from her vault, and everything else she bought. When she had finally gotten everything settled, she put off opening the boxes to take a shower.

*****

Severus left his things piled up on his bed, moving instead to the bathroom to take a shower as well. He needed something to take his mind off of Katie… off of her scent that still lingered in his robes, on his skin, even in his hair. It was driving him mad, and he quickly stripped, casting his robes aside and jumping into the stream of hot water.

*****

In Dumbledore's office, A thin, haggard looking man sat in one of the chairs next to the fireplace, his hands folded in his lap. His brown hair was specked with gray, and his face was lined with wrinkles.

"I hope you know what you're doing by hiring me back, Albus," the man said in a quiet voice.

"Of course, Remus. You're one of the best Defense teachers we've had in… a very long time. Besides, you're a good friend.. and…" Dumbledore's voice trailed off and he looked down.

"And what?"

"Well…" He tried to put it gently, but realizing that Lupin would get even more curious if he didn't say it right away, he just spit it out. "Remus, we found Kate."

"WHAT?!" Remus yelled, jumping to his feet. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't this.

"Sit down, sit down. We found her, and she's here…" Albus stood up and walked over to Remus's chair, guiding him back down.

"She's not… dead… is she?"

Albus shook his head and Remus looked a bit less shocked, but more confused. He decided it would be best if he explained it from the beginning, and so he started with the part where his source told him where Katie was, and ended with Katie leaving for Diagon Alley earlier today. Lupin listened in silence, his face screwed up like it always was when he was in deep concentration. When Dumbledore finished talking, they sat in silence for a while.

"So…" Lupin said quietly, staring down at his hands. "She doesn't… remember me at all?"

"I think she remembers she had some family, by the way she talks about them, but she probably doesn't remember who her brother was. If she did, she would have contacted you by now." Dumbledore paced the floor in front of the fireplace and stroked his beard. "It may be a bit hard for her to see you, because you were such a big part of her life back then. Severus says she broke down in tears when she saw him…"

"Yeah, well.." Lupin wanted to make a comment to that, but he figured Dumbledore probably wouldn't appreciate it. "Do you think I could, you know, talk to her?"

Dumbledore shrugged at this, but paused for a moment before replying. "I suppose you could, but I want to give it a couple days. School will start in a week, and I'm sure you two won't be able to avoid each other then, but I want to talk to her before just throwing you back into her life."

Credits go to the parties mentioned above, and also 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: What will happen when Katie sees Lupin again? What's in those boxes? School starts and the Trio is back, what will they think of Katie? And what's with those raven feathers?