Almost seven years later
Kate dropped her jacket on the kitchen table, ran her fingers through her long dark hair, and leafed through the day's mail. She got the usual list of college 'visit us' letters that she'd been getting since 8th grade, till she got to one made of thick cream-colored paper. It's writing was bright green, and she looked for the post mark. There wasn't one, but there was a wax seal on the back, bearing a coat of arms.
"Hmm. Hey, Orion, go and get Aunt Gwen. She should be out in the garden," she told her cat, who ambled out the back door. Kate laughed and shook her head. She used the old silver letter-opener to slash the top of the envelope, and pulled a letter from the top.
"More green ink, somebody must have gotten happy with the metallic gel pens. Ok, let's see what you say:
"Dear Miss Rhys, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the exchange program at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will be considered the representative of the American High Council of Sorcery while at Hogwarts. The school term begins September 1st . Being as you are coming from over the Atlantic, your guardian will be allowed to escort you to the school in order to settle in. Accompanied is a list of school supplies, you may purchase them either in your own country or in London.
Professor Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
"Weird, Aunt Gwen never said anything about this," Kate mused, and tapped her foot. That darned cat! Could he do nothing she asked him? Selfish rat-catcher! Just then her aunt walked in, followed by the sauntering black cat. Kate gave him an evil look after she had handed the letter to Gwen.
"Ah, the acceptance letter from Hogwarts. I must say, that after the debacle in the Forest of Illusion, I wondered if you would get in."
Kate sat with a huff onto a chair, Orion curling himself over her shoulder, " You knew about this! And didn't tell me? That was one of the reasons there was a debacle in the Forest, you didn't give me the whole story!" She stood up and paced about the kitchen.
Gwen sat down, looking at the letter, "It's a great honor, Kate. I went to Hogwarts, as did your mother. Every generation of Rhys women have been there. Come now, my Kate-Kat, it's a wonderful school and you'll meet others like yourself. Even Harry Potter is there. I was the maid of honor at his parents wedding. That all seems so long ago. Before Voldemort ruined everything."
"So you've told me a hundred, if not a thousand times. Oh, don't be sad, auntie!" Kate put her arms about her aunt who looked as though a terrible burden lay on her shoulders, " Why can't I stay here with you? From what I've heard, Lorenzo is still fuming about me! What if he makes trouble? And there isn't a professor alive who can teach me better than you can! I don't want idiots who spoon-feed their students amateurish potions and useless defenses against evil! I've faced one of the most ancient and powerful dark forces to exist, for crying out loud!"
"Katherine," Gwen's voice had steel in it suddenly. It was only rarely that Gwen used Kate's full name, and when she did, the girl knew she had to listen, "You're being terribly narrow-minded about all this. It will be a learning experience. And shouldn't you like it when you prove a professor wrong? You're so powerful, my Kate, but you need to learn patience and restraint. A year or so at Hogwarts, with rules and regulations would be of great value to you. Now, what do you say?"
Kate looked at her aunt, knowing that she kind of wanted to give in. The idea of proving a pompous professor wrong was too great a lure. That and the notion of having friends who weren't animals or who had been dead for a hundred and forty years.
"Will you at least come with me?" She murmured.
Kate finished loading the car with all the things she needed for school. Orion was in a small travelling cage in between the driver's and passenger's seats. He was not happy about it, but thankfully he did not try to remedy the situation. As Kate got into the car, she looked out at the places she loved so well. They left from Cannon Hill, one of the only still privately owned parts of the battlefield.
As she looked back towards the morning mist rising from the hills, Kate felt a terrible stab of homesickness, " Auntie, can we drive around the battlefield one last time?"
"We'll be late," Gwen protested.
"Please?" Kate's voice trembled.
"OK, but you can only get out once."
"Thank you!" Kate leaned over an hugged her aunt. They stopped at her favorite place on the battlefield, Devil's Den, the maze of boulders facing the two Round Tops. Kate raised her voice in song and the ghosts came to her. Each wished her luck, for they all loved the fey child, these spirits of the Blue and Gray. She almost cried when she saw her ancestor, who had defied both wizard and fey law when he went to fight for the Union. He had died at Gettysburg and usually haunted the garden at Cannon Hill.
"You'll do the Rhys name proud over there at Hogwarts. And don't get into any trouble you can't get yourself out of."
"Thank you, Major. I shall try." She put her hand, palm outward, as Major Rhys did the same. It was an old thing, this gesture of greeting and of parting. She turned and got back into the car. She watched the assembled ghosts fade away with the mist as the car drew her further and further away from her hometown and everything familiar to her.
In the offices of the High Council in Washington, they were given the portkey which would take them to their inn in London. Everything save the cat, whose basket was being held by Kate, had been sent ahead.
Kate felt an odd jar in her stomach, as though she were on a roller coaster, and her surroundings changed. They were in a dim room. She barely had time to look about when the cat, still unhappily imprisoned, gave a howl of misery. Kate stooped to let him out and laughed at his wounded expression.
"Yes, I know, I am a mean, cruel girl who does not deserve you, oh Prince of the Western Gates!" The cat, mollified by one of the flattering appellations he loved best, settled himself in her lap. Kate too soon dozed as Gwen put things away.
The next day, they went to get her school supplies (they had figured it would be easier to get them in London rather than in Washington). Kate found that she liked Diagon Alley. There just were so many interesting sights and sounds.
At the robe shop, Kate was infuriated, " Why do I have to wear skirts? And these robes, they're so bunchy!"
"It's uniform, my dear. All the girls at Hogwarts wear them." The witch who was assisting them said. Kate gave a thunderous look and tapped her foot impatiently.
"Come now, Kate. You'll be able to wear jeans on the weekends."
"And you've such pretty ankles, Miss Rhys. You can do more to the boys with those than with any love potion you could mix up." The assisting witch said. Kate merely looked at her, eyebrow arched. Once they were done, Gwen looked at her watch.
"What do we still need, Kate?" Gwen asked.
Kate looked at the paper detailing her school supplies, "We still need my potions supplies, and my wand. Why do I need a wand, I already have my staff?"
"Your staff is a bit unwieldy when it comes to school work. Besides, a wand is mandatory. Professor McGonagall said that you may bring your staff, but a wand is necessary for school work. Here, I'll let you get your wand while I go and get the potion supplies."
Kate gave a resigned sigh and said, "All right." Gwen led her to a small, dusty shop.
"Olivander's. Both your mother and I got our wands here. Now, I'll be back in a few minutes, Kate." Gwen left her standing inside the rather dark shop.
"Hello," Kate called out, "Mr. Olivander? Is anyone here?" It seemed as though the place were deserted. Suddenly a small, bent man appeared.
"A Rhys girl. It's been more than twenty years since I've seen one of the Rhys children in my shop. Now, you would be Gwen's little girl?"
"Only second hand. My mother was Anwen."
"Really? Ah, well then. I see that you need a wand. Now let's see." He began to pull out wands. Kate tried every one he handed to her. The more she tried, the more pleased he seemed. Finally, he pulled out a small, tarnished silver box. Opening it, he rubbed the silver handle of the wand. Kate could tell the type of wood at once.
"Rowan wood?"
"Ash, 13 inches, Pheonix feather core. I should have gone to this at the first. Rowan wood for a fey child. Try it."
Kate gave the wand a wave. She felt a warmth in her hand, and an almost pleasant shiver ran down her spine.
"Yes, yes. Perfect. The wand chooses the wizard. Rowan wood for a fey child. Though, you do look more like Gwen than your mother. Such a time I had when they came for their wands! Your aunt first met Sirius Black here in my store. Got into the most enormous row!"Mr. Olivander leaned in close to whisper into Kate's ear, "Everyone thought that they would make a match of it, way back before you were born."
"Mr. Olivander!" Gwen's voice was sharp. Kate had never heard her aunt speak in such a tone. Then the imperious tone changed, and Gwen favored the old man with a smile that lit up the room, " I would like it if you would take a look at my old wand. I'm afraid I don't use it as much as I used to. Kate, dear, why don't you go and get some ice cream? I'll be only a moment or so. There's my girl."
Kate did something that had never happened before, she obeyed without a word of protest or argument. There was something in her aunt's manner which was so strange, it shocked her into doing precisely what she was told.
When Kate was safely down the street, Gwen turned to the old man, fire in her golden eyes, "Don't you ever speak to that child of Sirius Black, or that he and I were… connected. She might get some harebrained scheme in her head and go off looking for him. That is, if he hasn't been caught already?" The question betrayed something to Olivander. He nodded sagely. He should have expected this. Gwen Rhys was a stubborn woman, and had refused to believe Black's guilt.
"No, he hasn't, and I doubt that he will ever be caught."
"Thank the gods," Gwen whispered, "Do you think, perhaps, that you might send out discreet inquiries about his status?"
"I might, madam." Olivander knew how to deal with the fey, he had many years of practice. This lady was particularly wily, "May I ask about the girl, my lady? She is your's?"
"Only second hand, as Kate herself says. Tread lightly, old man. I'll await your news when I come back from the north. I have to meet with Fudge after I take Kate to Hogwarts. Discreet inquiries, mind you." She said as she swept out, her burgundy robes rustling.
Olivander bowed. Gwen Rhys was not the descendant of Morgana Le Fey for nothing. And the child looked like she would become even more imperious. Just look at the wand which suited her. Rowan and pheonix feather, thirteen inches.
Kate was eating a caramel apple sundae at the ice cream parlor. She hadn't changed into her robes yet.
"Who're you?" a blonde boy about her age asked rudely.
Kate let one eyebrow raise slightly. Gwen called it her 'ice princess look.' The boy stepped back a bit, as Kate said, with an amost malicious smile, "I'm the wicked witch of the West. If you're not careful, I might turn you into a newt."
"Kate? Kate, where have you gotten to?" Gwen called out to her. She noticed the boy, "Oh, I see you've made a friend. How do you do, young man?"
"No friend of mine, Aunt Gwen. He would have to learn manners to even have a chance of that." Kate said.
"Well, then, be off with you. And now, Miss Kate, we'll have to get back to the inn. Old Tom is tickled pink to have the Ladies Rhys of Cannon Hill staying at the Leaky Cauldron." Gwen dropped the name deliberately. Kate got up and, stretching like a cat, ambled off with her aunt.
When they arrived at Hogsmeade, Kate and Gwen took the boat ride over the lake's dark swirling waters. An enormous man, who introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, rowed them over in a little leaf shaped boat along with the first students, several years younger than Kate.
"Hagrid! You're looking fit as ever," Gwen smiled.
" Miss Gwen, yeh're not going ter get inter any trouble 'round here? Don' want ter give the teachers the wrong idea 'bout Katie here."
Gwen raised three fingers, "Girl Scouts' promise."
"There now. Well, Miss Katie, yeh'll be sent with the actual sixth years, after yeh get sorted into yer house. Yer mum was a Ravenclaw, but yer pretty auntie here was a Gryffindor. Ye'll find which one suits you best.
"Ok… whatever you say."
"Indeed, indeed. Ye'll meet all the professors here in a few minutes. There's Albus Dumbledore, headmaster, great man, is Dumbledore, Have you heard about your great-granddad, Bran, and the Professor? Great friends they were. Then there's Professors McGonagall, and Snape and Flitwick, and Trelawney and Sprout, and I teach Care of Magical Creatures. But here we are, and I'll let you ladies out now. 'Tis a great place, Hogwarts is. Ye'll like it, Miss Katie."
"I hope so, Mr. Hagrid."
"Just Hagrid, miss. Just Hagrid."
The Sorting Hat was in the process of assigning the first years to their houses. The young people at the tables were whispering about the girl standing at the end of the line. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, much older than any of the others in the line. Her name was called out and she stepped up to the stool.
"Rhys, Katherine A."
The whispering increased. Kate looked about the hall, a bit confused. Apparently she was something of a celebrity. She was amazed at the amount of noise. Used to the quiet of Cannon Hill, and of the stillness of the battlefield at nightfall, the sheer number of children in the great hall unsettled her. She sat on the stool and the sorting hat was on her head. It moved about, trying to get a comfortable seat.
"Well, well, well. It's been a long while since I've sat upon the head of a Rhys. Though I'm not quite sure about you. Wise, yes. Wise beyond your years you are, and that is Ravenclaw. Ambitious, though you may not realize it. You know what you want and aren't afraid to get it, whether by cunning or outright confrontation. Those are Slytherin traits. But there is more, much more. Willful as a cat, and just as fierce in the protection of the things you love most. From what's running through your head, young lady, I think I shall put you into GRYFFINDOR!" Kate slipped out from under the hat, which could still be heard chuckling, saying for all to hear, " Willful as a cat, she is, best to put her with the other lions."
The Gryffindor table erupted into great cheering as she sat. Kate took a deep breath of relief. The boy next to her, offered his hand.
"Hi, I'm Harry."
"Kate. If you want to technical, Katherine Ariana Rhys."
"If you want to get technical, then, Henry James Potter here." They both laughed.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Harry. Harry Potter! Small world, isn't it?"
"Very. We're both pretty famous in the wizarding world, aren't we?"
"Apparently so. I've never encountered anything like this though. It's a tad overwhelming, isn't it?" Kate replied.
"I remember it being that way at first. Now it's not much more than a nuisance."
"I can well believe that. Well, I must say that I am glad to be here rather than at the Salem Institute or the New Orleans Academy. My aunt doesn't get along with the Salem people and the New Orleans one just isn't up to scratch," Kate laughed. Harry liked her laugh. It was light and silvery, kind of like a lark, he decided. The boy sitting next to him leaned over an stuck out his hand.
"Ron Weasley here. I hear you had a run in with a Dark wizard yourself. What was his name? My brother Charlie says that he's almost as bad as You-Know-Who!"
"Lorenzo of the Forest of Illusion, and he was nasty, to say the least. Who is this You – Know - Who?"
"Voldemort," Harry said quietly, " Everyone is afraid to say his name."
" I was taught that knowing your enemy's name gives you power over them," Kate said just as quietly and earnestly.
"What type is your wand?"
"Well, I got a wand at Olivander's, as apparently I couldn't use my staff. But the wand is ten inches long, with a pheonix feather core, made of rowan wood. Mr. Olivander seemed quite pleased that I should get that wand. Said that he's had that wand for a very long time. You can tell it's quite old. Mr. Olivander had to polish the silver handle, it had gotten tarnished." Kate took out her smooth wand.
The girl with frizzy hair introduced herself as Hermione, and said, "Pheonix feather wands are usually the nicest. Harry has a pheonix feather wand."
"I'm still a bit akward with it. I'm so used to my staff… it has a bit more to it."
"A bit more to it? Is it made of gold or something?"
"Silver actually. Five feet tall with a large blue crystal at the top. I got it about a year ago." She jumped when a head came out of the platter of roast chicken, followed by the rest of a ghostly body.
" Oh, good grief! You startled me!"
"Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service m'dear. Why, you look as though you've never seen a ghost before!"
"Nearly Headless Nick," Harry whispered to Kate.
"My Aunt Gwen doesn't allow the ghosts in at supper time. And then, only Major Rhys is allowed to come into the house."
"Rhys, you say that you're a Rhys! Why my dear dear girl! Finally, we have got the kin of Morgana Le Fey back in dear old Gryffindor! You say there is a Major Rhys who haunts your house?"
"Garden, actually. Owain Rhys died at the battle of Gettysburg."
"I am sorry to hear that. He was a pleasant fellow."
"Yes, Sir Nicholas, that he is."
"His son came here and was a classmate of Professor Dumbledore. Now, they were two of the wildest young men Gryffindor ever had. Made those Weasley twins seemed mild did they."
The feast was over and Kate was led to the Gryffindor Tower. She had a bed in the girls' dormitory, right next to Hermione Granger, the girl with the bushy light borwn hair.
"Orion! Where have you gotten to, you big furball?" Kate found him sitting on a windowsill,washing his face. A bright orange cat sat beneath him, obviously disgruntled and the worse of a fight.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione cried out.
"I'd say there's been a spat, and you Crookshanks has come out rather the worst for it. Orion," Kate called to the cat, who had been preoccupied with the white spire on his forehead, "Appologise at once! This is hardly the way to make a good impression our first day here. And don't you dare think of growing any larger. I'm not allowed to have a cat the size of a lion running about the place." Orion gave her a long-suffering, half- disgusted look, jumped down and offered a paw and whiskers to the orange cat. Crookshanks stiffened, but after a moment, accepted the offer of truce.
"He actually did what I told him. Will wonders never cease?" Kate marveled as Gwen came into the room.
"I see both of you have made some friends. So, my Kate, you're a Gryffindor. I haven't been in this tower in what seems like forever. I was a Gryffindor, you know, as was one of my beaus."
Hermione piped up, " That would make you Golden Gwen of Gryffindor! The girl who half the boys and male professors were mad in love with!"
"Well, not really, but there were a couple who could have been considered in the running," Gwen said, "Most everything has been exaggerated."
"The only fellow who wasn't after you was Harry's dad! I heard that one of the reasons Professor Snape didn't like Siri…" Hermione trailed off, looking at Gwen.
"So Snape is still teaching here? Well, well. I daresay you look enough like me Kate, to get away with a great deal. Severus Snape was very fond of me at one time."
"But there was someone else, wasn't there, Auntie?"
"Yes, there was someone else.. But you needn't listen to the ramblings of twenty years ago. Oh Kate, your hair! Those bangs are in a desperate need of a trim."
"They're a pain, so I'm growing them back out," Kate protested.
"They look dreadful.Use pins or clips to hold them back if you must. Come now, and kiss me goodbye."
"Goodbye! But you were supposed to stay here for a while!"
"The Council sent an owl, they can't seem to spare me. I have to meet with the British Minister of Magic in London tomorrow, and then I have to get back to Gettysburg."
"It's not fair! One would think that the Council, sniveling pack of idiots though it is, could do without you for a week!"
"I know it's not fair, dearest, but I will write as often as I can, and I will come here for the Christmas holidays, how is that?"
"Oh, all right. I'll write too, and I'll try and figure out a way to send email, some things you just can't trust to owls."
"Now, let me tuck you in, as I did when you were little."
Kate climbed into bed, Orion curled up in the crook of her arm, as Gwen arranged the blankets. She was kissed on the forehead, and her hair was brushed from her face. Then the space before her was empty, and her aunt was gone.
Kate had the oddest dreams that night. It was as though she was watching a play being acted out in front of her. She was in the Gryffindor Common Room and there were two other people in there with her. One was Gwen, only younger, about Kate's age or a little older, and the other was a tall young man, very handsome, with dark hair and pale blue eyes. They were arguing.
"You aren't going to tell me what I can or cannot do, Sirius Black! If I want to go to Hogsmeade with Severus, that's my decision, not yours!" Gwen shouted at him.
"He's a greasy, obnoxious reptile. Always trying to get us all in trouble."
"Oh like you need help? Getting into trouble is your heart's delight and you know it. You and those other three. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs? Don't think I don't know what the four of you are up to… it begins with an 'A.' Not that it's really Lupin's fault. But you and James should know better, and Peter follows wherever you lead."
"You're one to talk about behaving responsibly, Gwen. Who was it who went dancing out on the grounds in her nightgown last full moon? That was your fault as much as anybody's. It's a damn good thing we got poor Moony under control before he could get to you. He would have ripped you apart, or you would have called the Hunt. Either way, someone would have been dead."
"I couldn't help going out there and dancing, Sirius. The full moon is as much a disease with me as it is with Moony. Just so long as I wasn't singing the Come-Hither it was all right. Besides, we none of us got caught, now did we?"
"No, we didn't," the boy gave a lopsided grin, "Can you imagine how Snape would have reacted to seeing you out there in your nightgown, flitting in and out of the trees? His jaw would have ploughed a furrow in the ground." He laughed out loud. Kate decided that she liked his laugh.
"Now don't you go and tease him. He'll likely put a curse on you, and it will take a week to clear up. He's been such a dear about develpoing a new version of the serum. If he can make it in injection form, that should clear up the dfficulties with dancing under the moon… well, at least the involuntary dancing," Gwen smiled in return.
Sirius strode over to her and leaned down, brushing her hair out of her face, "How come we can never stay mad at one another?"
"Don't know. We sure do try, though, don't we?"
Kate watched as the two leaned close, thinking all the while, "Kiss her… oh kiss her!" Just as it seemed their lips were to touch, the surroundings swirled and the scene changed. Kate was in what seemed to be a dungeon room. Another young man with dark hair, this time greasy and lank, was hunched over a cauldron while Gwen sat on a stool, munching an apple.
"It should be ready soon, Gwen," this lad said.
"Oh thank you Severus. It's really very decent of you, to spend your time helping me with this serum," Gwen flashed a luminous smile at him, brightening up the dreary dungeon. He turned and caught the full force of it. This young man was obviously very much devoted to Gwen. His eyes followed her every movement, and an uncertain smile was on his lips… It seemed to Kate that he wasn't used to smiling, but for Gwen's sake tried. He took a syringe in a shaking hand.
"Gwen, I… I don't want to hurt you."
"Go ahead, Severus. I won't cry, I promise," Gwen smiled encouragingly. Kate watched as he put the needle in the girl's arm. After he finished, he wiped away the single drop of blood from Gwen's skin.
"There now, Severus, it wasn't that bad. Why, you're shaking! You poor dear, you took it harder than I did."
"How are you feeling?"
"My knees feel a bit wobbly, But I get that with the drink."
"Then it's working. Stay here for a while, though, I want to make certain that something doesn't go wrong."
Gwen swooped down on him, kissing his cheek. Kate wasn't sure what to think. She liked that Sirius fellow better, but this Severus was clearly very much in love with her aunt. Kate wondered why Gwen hadn't married either man.
Again, the scene changed. "This is making me dizzy," Kate thought. She was standing at the door of a small cottage. There was a tall, menacing figure in front of her. There was the sound of a man shouting, and Kate was inside the house. There was a dead man in the house, and kate turned when she heard the woman's pleading. It was a young woman, with red hair. She was holding a baby.
"No, not Harry! Please! Anything but that!" The woman screamed as a flash of green light enveloped her body. The figure moved to the child, and Kate, panicking, reached for the horn at her side.
"Touch the child and the Wild Hunt shall take your life, and soul!" The figure did not turn, but raised the wand at the child. Kate put the horn to her lips and blew. The explosion deafened her. But she was not harmed. Neither, so it seemed, was the little boy. Kate shook her head and muttered a few words to clear the air. The figure in the black robes was gone, the Hunt never appeared. Kate waded through the rubble, trying to revive the young woman.
"Please, don't be dead! Don't be dead!" Kate cried out, "Please?" She picked the baby up, cradling him in her arms. He was such a little thing! There was the beginnings of a mop of black hair, and emerald green eyes looked at her tearfully. On his forehead, a livid scar burned bright.
"Harry?" She exclaimed, "I must be in the past. Oh Harry, I'm sorry. I am so sorry," she crooned to the crying child, "Hush now. Shall I sing for you? You'd like something soft, a lullaby? I really only know sad songs. How about Kathleen Mavourneen? It's my favorite. I sing it for my battlefield ghosts.
Kathleen Mavourneen! the grey dawn is breaking
The horn of the hunter is heard on the hill,
The lark from her light wing the bright dew is shaking
Kathleen Mavourneen – what slumbering still!
O hast thou forgotten how soon we must sever?
O hast thou forgotten this day we must part?
It may be for years and it may be forever;
Oh, why art thou silent, thou voice of my heart?
It may be for years, it may be forever;
Then why art thou silent, Kathleen Mavourneen?
Kathleen Mavourneen! awake from thy slumbers
The blue mountains glaw in the suns golden light,
Ah! Where is the spell that once hung on my numbers?
Arise in the beauty, thou star of my night.
Mavourneen, mavourneen, my sad tears are falling
To think that from Erin and thee I must part.
It may be for years, and it may be forever;
Oh, why art thou silent, thou voice of my heart?
It may be for years, and it may be forever;
Then why art thou silent, Kathleen Mavourneen?"
Kate sat there in the debris, singing to the baby. She sang many songs that night, till she saw the mighty voice of Hagrid, calling out for Baby Harry. She set him down gently and quickly hid behind a tree. If Hagrid had seen anything, he would have taken it for a ghost comforting the child. Kate watched till Hagrid had taken the child up, weeping noisily as he left.
The next scene was that of Dumbledore, cradling a newborn baby in his arms. She watched the child tug his beard and heard his laugh, "Oh yes, willful as a cat, aren't we Katherine Silverhair? I can see you'll be a force to reckon with when next I see you," Dumbledore set the baby in the cradle, and told the great scarlet and gold bird to look after her. He then left the room. Suddenly there was a bright blue light, and Kate saw the figure standing over the cradle. The man stood straight and turned, stormy blue eyes just like her own gazing gravely at her, not through her as the other adults had. He beckoned her over. The phoenix still stood at the cradle's side. She leaned over and saw the silver pendant she always wore gleaming round the neck of the baby.
"The past and the future meet in dreams, Kate. You'll forget this part till you have to remember. Morgana knows. Here now, give your grand- dad, several times removed, a kiss, Kate-Kat. You may look like Le Fey, but you've enough of me in you to keep things interesting," he kissed her forehead.
"Who are you?"
"Now, Kate, who else could I be?"
"Merlin?" The name echoed through the room and she heard Professor Dumbledore returning. Everything dissolved, Merlin, the phoenix, the cradle, the office.
Kate dropped her jacket on the kitchen table, ran her fingers through her long dark hair, and leafed through the day's mail. She got the usual list of college 'visit us' letters that she'd been getting since 8th grade, till she got to one made of thick cream-colored paper. It's writing was bright green, and she looked for the post mark. There wasn't one, but there was a wax seal on the back, bearing a coat of arms.
"Hmm. Hey, Orion, go and get Aunt Gwen. She should be out in the garden," she told her cat, who ambled out the back door. Kate laughed and shook her head. She used the old silver letter-opener to slash the top of the envelope, and pulled a letter from the top.
"More green ink, somebody must have gotten happy with the metallic gel pens. Ok, let's see what you say:
"Dear Miss Rhys, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the exchange program at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will be considered the representative of the American High Council of Sorcery while at Hogwarts. The school term begins September 1st . Being as you are coming from over the Atlantic, your guardian will be allowed to escort you to the school in order to settle in. Accompanied is a list of school supplies, you may purchase them either in your own country or in London.
Professor Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
"Weird, Aunt Gwen never said anything about this," Kate mused, and tapped her foot. That darned cat! Could he do nothing she asked him? Selfish rat-catcher! Just then her aunt walked in, followed by the sauntering black cat. Kate gave him an evil look after she had handed the letter to Gwen.
"Ah, the acceptance letter from Hogwarts. I must say, that after the debacle in the Forest of Illusion, I wondered if you would get in."
Kate sat with a huff onto a chair, Orion curling himself over her shoulder, " You knew about this! And didn't tell me? That was one of the reasons there was a debacle in the Forest, you didn't give me the whole story!" She stood up and paced about the kitchen.
Gwen sat down, looking at the letter, "It's a great honor, Kate. I went to Hogwarts, as did your mother. Every generation of Rhys women have been there. Come now, my Kate-Kat, it's a wonderful school and you'll meet others like yourself. Even Harry Potter is there. I was the maid of honor at his parents wedding. That all seems so long ago. Before Voldemort ruined everything."
"So you've told me a hundred, if not a thousand times. Oh, don't be sad, auntie!" Kate put her arms about her aunt who looked as though a terrible burden lay on her shoulders, " Why can't I stay here with you? From what I've heard, Lorenzo is still fuming about me! What if he makes trouble? And there isn't a professor alive who can teach me better than you can! I don't want idiots who spoon-feed their students amateurish potions and useless defenses against evil! I've faced one of the most ancient and powerful dark forces to exist, for crying out loud!"
"Katherine," Gwen's voice had steel in it suddenly. It was only rarely that Gwen used Kate's full name, and when she did, the girl knew she had to listen, "You're being terribly narrow-minded about all this. It will be a learning experience. And shouldn't you like it when you prove a professor wrong? You're so powerful, my Kate, but you need to learn patience and restraint. A year or so at Hogwarts, with rules and regulations would be of great value to you. Now, what do you say?"
Kate looked at her aunt, knowing that she kind of wanted to give in. The idea of proving a pompous professor wrong was too great a lure. That and the notion of having friends who weren't animals or who had been dead for a hundred and forty years.
"Will you at least come with me?" She murmured.
Kate finished loading the car with all the things she needed for school. Orion was in a small travelling cage in between the driver's and passenger's seats. He was not happy about it, but thankfully he did not try to remedy the situation. As Kate got into the car, she looked out at the places she loved so well. They left from Cannon Hill, one of the only still privately owned parts of the battlefield.
As she looked back towards the morning mist rising from the hills, Kate felt a terrible stab of homesickness, " Auntie, can we drive around the battlefield one last time?"
"We'll be late," Gwen protested.
"Please?" Kate's voice trembled.
"OK, but you can only get out once."
"Thank you!" Kate leaned over an hugged her aunt. They stopped at her favorite place on the battlefield, Devil's Den, the maze of boulders facing the two Round Tops. Kate raised her voice in song and the ghosts came to her. Each wished her luck, for they all loved the fey child, these spirits of the Blue and Gray. She almost cried when she saw her ancestor, who had defied both wizard and fey law when he went to fight for the Union. He had died at Gettysburg and usually haunted the garden at Cannon Hill.
"You'll do the Rhys name proud over there at Hogwarts. And don't get into any trouble you can't get yourself out of."
"Thank you, Major. I shall try." She put her hand, palm outward, as Major Rhys did the same. It was an old thing, this gesture of greeting and of parting. She turned and got back into the car. She watched the assembled ghosts fade away with the mist as the car drew her further and further away from her hometown and everything familiar to her.
In the offices of the High Council in Washington, they were given the portkey which would take them to their inn in London. Everything save the cat, whose basket was being held by Kate, had been sent ahead.
Kate felt an odd jar in her stomach, as though she were on a roller coaster, and her surroundings changed. They were in a dim room. She barely had time to look about when the cat, still unhappily imprisoned, gave a howl of misery. Kate stooped to let him out and laughed at his wounded expression.
"Yes, I know, I am a mean, cruel girl who does not deserve you, oh Prince of the Western Gates!" The cat, mollified by one of the flattering appellations he loved best, settled himself in her lap. Kate too soon dozed as Gwen put things away.
The next day, they went to get her school supplies (they had figured it would be easier to get them in London rather than in Washington). Kate found that she liked Diagon Alley. There just were so many interesting sights and sounds.
At the robe shop, Kate was infuriated, " Why do I have to wear skirts? And these robes, they're so bunchy!"
"It's uniform, my dear. All the girls at Hogwarts wear them." The witch who was assisting them said. Kate gave a thunderous look and tapped her foot impatiently.
"Come now, Kate. You'll be able to wear jeans on the weekends."
"And you've such pretty ankles, Miss Rhys. You can do more to the boys with those than with any love potion you could mix up." The assisting witch said. Kate merely looked at her, eyebrow arched. Once they were done, Gwen looked at her watch.
"What do we still need, Kate?" Gwen asked.
Kate looked at the paper detailing her school supplies, "We still need my potions supplies, and my wand. Why do I need a wand, I already have my staff?"
"Your staff is a bit unwieldy when it comes to school work. Besides, a wand is mandatory. Professor McGonagall said that you may bring your staff, but a wand is necessary for school work. Here, I'll let you get your wand while I go and get the potion supplies."
Kate gave a resigned sigh and said, "All right." Gwen led her to a small, dusty shop.
"Olivander's. Both your mother and I got our wands here. Now, I'll be back in a few minutes, Kate." Gwen left her standing inside the rather dark shop.
"Hello," Kate called out, "Mr. Olivander? Is anyone here?" It seemed as though the place were deserted. Suddenly a small, bent man appeared.
"A Rhys girl. It's been more than twenty years since I've seen one of the Rhys children in my shop. Now, you would be Gwen's little girl?"
"Only second hand. My mother was Anwen."
"Really? Ah, well then. I see that you need a wand. Now let's see." He began to pull out wands. Kate tried every one he handed to her. The more she tried, the more pleased he seemed. Finally, he pulled out a small, tarnished silver box. Opening it, he rubbed the silver handle of the wand. Kate could tell the type of wood at once.
"Rowan wood?"
"Ash, 13 inches, Pheonix feather core. I should have gone to this at the first. Rowan wood for a fey child. Try it."
Kate gave the wand a wave. She felt a warmth in her hand, and an almost pleasant shiver ran down her spine.
"Yes, yes. Perfect. The wand chooses the wizard. Rowan wood for a fey child. Though, you do look more like Gwen than your mother. Such a time I had when they came for their wands! Your aunt first met Sirius Black here in my store. Got into the most enormous row!"Mr. Olivander leaned in close to whisper into Kate's ear, "Everyone thought that they would make a match of it, way back before you were born."
"Mr. Olivander!" Gwen's voice was sharp. Kate had never heard her aunt speak in such a tone. Then the imperious tone changed, and Gwen favored the old man with a smile that lit up the room, " I would like it if you would take a look at my old wand. I'm afraid I don't use it as much as I used to. Kate, dear, why don't you go and get some ice cream? I'll be only a moment or so. There's my girl."
Kate did something that had never happened before, she obeyed without a word of protest or argument. There was something in her aunt's manner which was so strange, it shocked her into doing precisely what she was told.
When Kate was safely down the street, Gwen turned to the old man, fire in her golden eyes, "Don't you ever speak to that child of Sirius Black, or that he and I were… connected. She might get some harebrained scheme in her head and go off looking for him. That is, if he hasn't been caught already?" The question betrayed something to Olivander. He nodded sagely. He should have expected this. Gwen Rhys was a stubborn woman, and had refused to believe Black's guilt.
"No, he hasn't, and I doubt that he will ever be caught."
"Thank the gods," Gwen whispered, "Do you think, perhaps, that you might send out discreet inquiries about his status?"
"I might, madam." Olivander knew how to deal with the fey, he had many years of practice. This lady was particularly wily, "May I ask about the girl, my lady? She is your's?"
"Only second hand, as Kate herself says. Tread lightly, old man. I'll await your news when I come back from the north. I have to meet with Fudge after I take Kate to Hogwarts. Discreet inquiries, mind you." She said as she swept out, her burgundy robes rustling.
Olivander bowed. Gwen Rhys was not the descendant of Morgana Le Fey for nothing. And the child looked like she would become even more imperious. Just look at the wand which suited her. Rowan and pheonix feather, thirteen inches.
Kate was eating a caramel apple sundae at the ice cream parlor. She hadn't changed into her robes yet.
"Who're you?" a blonde boy about her age asked rudely.
Kate let one eyebrow raise slightly. Gwen called it her 'ice princess look.' The boy stepped back a bit, as Kate said, with an amost malicious smile, "I'm the wicked witch of the West. If you're not careful, I might turn you into a newt."
"Kate? Kate, where have you gotten to?" Gwen called out to her. She noticed the boy, "Oh, I see you've made a friend. How do you do, young man?"
"No friend of mine, Aunt Gwen. He would have to learn manners to even have a chance of that." Kate said.
"Well, then, be off with you. And now, Miss Kate, we'll have to get back to the inn. Old Tom is tickled pink to have the Ladies Rhys of Cannon Hill staying at the Leaky Cauldron." Gwen dropped the name deliberately. Kate got up and, stretching like a cat, ambled off with her aunt.
When they arrived at Hogsmeade, Kate and Gwen took the boat ride over the lake's dark swirling waters. An enormous man, who introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, rowed them over in a little leaf shaped boat along with the first students, several years younger than Kate.
"Hagrid! You're looking fit as ever," Gwen smiled.
" Miss Gwen, yeh're not going ter get inter any trouble 'round here? Don' want ter give the teachers the wrong idea 'bout Katie here."
Gwen raised three fingers, "Girl Scouts' promise."
"There now. Well, Miss Katie, yeh'll be sent with the actual sixth years, after yeh get sorted into yer house. Yer mum was a Ravenclaw, but yer pretty auntie here was a Gryffindor. Ye'll find which one suits you best.
"Ok… whatever you say."
"Indeed, indeed. Ye'll meet all the professors here in a few minutes. There's Albus Dumbledore, headmaster, great man, is Dumbledore, Have you heard about your great-granddad, Bran, and the Professor? Great friends they were. Then there's Professors McGonagall, and Snape and Flitwick, and Trelawney and Sprout, and I teach Care of Magical Creatures. But here we are, and I'll let you ladies out now. 'Tis a great place, Hogwarts is. Ye'll like it, Miss Katie."
"I hope so, Mr. Hagrid."
"Just Hagrid, miss. Just Hagrid."
The Sorting Hat was in the process of assigning the first years to their houses. The young people at the tables were whispering about the girl standing at the end of the line. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, much older than any of the others in the line. Her name was called out and she stepped up to the stool.
"Rhys, Katherine A."
The whispering increased. Kate looked about the hall, a bit confused. Apparently she was something of a celebrity. She was amazed at the amount of noise. Used to the quiet of Cannon Hill, and of the stillness of the battlefield at nightfall, the sheer number of children in the great hall unsettled her. She sat on the stool and the sorting hat was on her head. It moved about, trying to get a comfortable seat.
"Well, well, well. It's been a long while since I've sat upon the head of a Rhys. Though I'm not quite sure about you. Wise, yes. Wise beyond your years you are, and that is Ravenclaw. Ambitious, though you may not realize it. You know what you want and aren't afraid to get it, whether by cunning or outright confrontation. Those are Slytherin traits. But there is more, much more. Willful as a cat, and just as fierce in the protection of the things you love most. From what's running through your head, young lady, I think I shall put you into GRYFFINDOR!" Kate slipped out from under the hat, which could still be heard chuckling, saying for all to hear, " Willful as a cat, she is, best to put her with the other lions."
The Gryffindor table erupted into great cheering as she sat. Kate took a deep breath of relief. The boy next to her, offered his hand.
"Hi, I'm Harry."
"Kate. If you want to technical, Katherine Ariana Rhys."
"If you want to get technical, then, Henry James Potter here." They both laughed.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Harry. Harry Potter! Small world, isn't it?"
"Very. We're both pretty famous in the wizarding world, aren't we?"
"Apparently so. I've never encountered anything like this though. It's a tad overwhelming, isn't it?" Kate replied.
"I remember it being that way at first. Now it's not much more than a nuisance."
"I can well believe that. Well, I must say that I am glad to be here rather than at the Salem Institute or the New Orleans Academy. My aunt doesn't get along with the Salem people and the New Orleans one just isn't up to scratch," Kate laughed. Harry liked her laugh. It was light and silvery, kind of like a lark, he decided. The boy sitting next to him leaned over an stuck out his hand.
"Ron Weasley here. I hear you had a run in with a Dark wizard yourself. What was his name? My brother Charlie says that he's almost as bad as You-Know-Who!"
"Lorenzo of the Forest of Illusion, and he was nasty, to say the least. Who is this You – Know - Who?"
"Voldemort," Harry said quietly, " Everyone is afraid to say his name."
" I was taught that knowing your enemy's name gives you power over them," Kate said just as quietly and earnestly.
"What type is your wand?"
"Well, I got a wand at Olivander's, as apparently I couldn't use my staff. But the wand is ten inches long, with a pheonix feather core, made of rowan wood. Mr. Olivander seemed quite pleased that I should get that wand. Said that he's had that wand for a very long time. You can tell it's quite old. Mr. Olivander had to polish the silver handle, it had gotten tarnished." Kate took out her smooth wand.
The girl with frizzy hair introduced herself as Hermione, and said, "Pheonix feather wands are usually the nicest. Harry has a pheonix feather wand."
"I'm still a bit akward with it. I'm so used to my staff… it has a bit more to it."
"A bit more to it? Is it made of gold or something?"
"Silver actually. Five feet tall with a large blue crystal at the top. I got it about a year ago." She jumped when a head came out of the platter of roast chicken, followed by the rest of a ghostly body.
" Oh, good grief! You startled me!"
"Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service m'dear. Why, you look as though you've never seen a ghost before!"
"Nearly Headless Nick," Harry whispered to Kate.
"My Aunt Gwen doesn't allow the ghosts in at supper time. And then, only Major Rhys is allowed to come into the house."
"Rhys, you say that you're a Rhys! Why my dear dear girl! Finally, we have got the kin of Morgana Le Fey back in dear old Gryffindor! You say there is a Major Rhys who haunts your house?"
"Garden, actually. Owain Rhys died at the battle of Gettysburg."
"I am sorry to hear that. He was a pleasant fellow."
"Yes, Sir Nicholas, that he is."
"His son came here and was a classmate of Professor Dumbledore. Now, they were two of the wildest young men Gryffindor ever had. Made those Weasley twins seemed mild did they."
The feast was over and Kate was led to the Gryffindor Tower. She had a bed in the girls' dormitory, right next to Hermione Granger, the girl with the bushy light borwn hair.
"Orion! Where have you gotten to, you big furball?" Kate found him sitting on a windowsill,washing his face. A bright orange cat sat beneath him, obviously disgruntled and the worse of a fight.
"Crookshanks!" Hermione cried out.
"I'd say there's been a spat, and you Crookshanks has come out rather the worst for it. Orion," Kate called to the cat, who had been preoccupied with the white spire on his forehead, "Appologise at once! This is hardly the way to make a good impression our first day here. And don't you dare think of growing any larger. I'm not allowed to have a cat the size of a lion running about the place." Orion gave her a long-suffering, half- disgusted look, jumped down and offered a paw and whiskers to the orange cat. Crookshanks stiffened, but after a moment, accepted the offer of truce.
"He actually did what I told him. Will wonders never cease?" Kate marveled as Gwen came into the room.
"I see both of you have made some friends. So, my Kate, you're a Gryffindor. I haven't been in this tower in what seems like forever. I was a Gryffindor, you know, as was one of my beaus."
Hermione piped up, " That would make you Golden Gwen of Gryffindor! The girl who half the boys and male professors were mad in love with!"
"Well, not really, but there were a couple who could have been considered in the running," Gwen said, "Most everything has been exaggerated."
"The only fellow who wasn't after you was Harry's dad! I heard that one of the reasons Professor Snape didn't like Siri…" Hermione trailed off, looking at Gwen.
"So Snape is still teaching here? Well, well. I daresay you look enough like me Kate, to get away with a great deal. Severus Snape was very fond of me at one time."
"But there was someone else, wasn't there, Auntie?"
"Yes, there was someone else.. But you needn't listen to the ramblings of twenty years ago. Oh Kate, your hair! Those bangs are in a desperate need of a trim."
"They're a pain, so I'm growing them back out," Kate protested.
"They look dreadful.Use pins or clips to hold them back if you must. Come now, and kiss me goodbye."
"Goodbye! But you were supposed to stay here for a while!"
"The Council sent an owl, they can't seem to spare me. I have to meet with the British Minister of Magic in London tomorrow, and then I have to get back to Gettysburg."
"It's not fair! One would think that the Council, sniveling pack of idiots though it is, could do without you for a week!"
"I know it's not fair, dearest, but I will write as often as I can, and I will come here for the Christmas holidays, how is that?"
"Oh, all right. I'll write too, and I'll try and figure out a way to send email, some things you just can't trust to owls."
"Now, let me tuck you in, as I did when you were little."
Kate climbed into bed, Orion curled up in the crook of her arm, as Gwen arranged the blankets. She was kissed on the forehead, and her hair was brushed from her face. Then the space before her was empty, and her aunt was gone.
Kate had the oddest dreams that night. It was as though she was watching a play being acted out in front of her. She was in the Gryffindor Common Room and there were two other people in there with her. One was Gwen, only younger, about Kate's age or a little older, and the other was a tall young man, very handsome, with dark hair and pale blue eyes. They were arguing.
"You aren't going to tell me what I can or cannot do, Sirius Black! If I want to go to Hogsmeade with Severus, that's my decision, not yours!" Gwen shouted at him.
"He's a greasy, obnoxious reptile. Always trying to get us all in trouble."
"Oh like you need help? Getting into trouble is your heart's delight and you know it. You and those other three. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs? Don't think I don't know what the four of you are up to… it begins with an 'A.' Not that it's really Lupin's fault. But you and James should know better, and Peter follows wherever you lead."
"You're one to talk about behaving responsibly, Gwen. Who was it who went dancing out on the grounds in her nightgown last full moon? That was your fault as much as anybody's. It's a damn good thing we got poor Moony under control before he could get to you. He would have ripped you apart, or you would have called the Hunt. Either way, someone would have been dead."
"I couldn't help going out there and dancing, Sirius. The full moon is as much a disease with me as it is with Moony. Just so long as I wasn't singing the Come-Hither it was all right. Besides, we none of us got caught, now did we?"
"No, we didn't," the boy gave a lopsided grin, "Can you imagine how Snape would have reacted to seeing you out there in your nightgown, flitting in and out of the trees? His jaw would have ploughed a furrow in the ground." He laughed out loud. Kate decided that she liked his laugh.
"Now don't you go and tease him. He'll likely put a curse on you, and it will take a week to clear up. He's been such a dear about develpoing a new version of the serum. If he can make it in injection form, that should clear up the dfficulties with dancing under the moon… well, at least the involuntary dancing," Gwen smiled in return.
Sirius strode over to her and leaned down, brushing her hair out of her face, "How come we can never stay mad at one another?"
"Don't know. We sure do try, though, don't we?"
Kate watched as the two leaned close, thinking all the while, "Kiss her… oh kiss her!" Just as it seemed their lips were to touch, the surroundings swirled and the scene changed. Kate was in what seemed to be a dungeon room. Another young man with dark hair, this time greasy and lank, was hunched over a cauldron while Gwen sat on a stool, munching an apple.
"It should be ready soon, Gwen," this lad said.
"Oh thank you Severus. It's really very decent of you, to spend your time helping me with this serum," Gwen flashed a luminous smile at him, brightening up the dreary dungeon. He turned and caught the full force of it. This young man was obviously very much devoted to Gwen. His eyes followed her every movement, and an uncertain smile was on his lips… It seemed to Kate that he wasn't used to smiling, but for Gwen's sake tried. He took a syringe in a shaking hand.
"Gwen, I… I don't want to hurt you."
"Go ahead, Severus. I won't cry, I promise," Gwen smiled encouragingly. Kate watched as he put the needle in the girl's arm. After he finished, he wiped away the single drop of blood from Gwen's skin.
"There now, Severus, it wasn't that bad. Why, you're shaking! You poor dear, you took it harder than I did."
"How are you feeling?"
"My knees feel a bit wobbly, But I get that with the drink."
"Then it's working. Stay here for a while, though, I want to make certain that something doesn't go wrong."
Gwen swooped down on him, kissing his cheek. Kate wasn't sure what to think. She liked that Sirius fellow better, but this Severus was clearly very much in love with her aunt. Kate wondered why Gwen hadn't married either man.
Again, the scene changed. "This is making me dizzy," Kate thought. She was standing at the door of a small cottage. There was a tall, menacing figure in front of her. There was the sound of a man shouting, and Kate was inside the house. There was a dead man in the house, and kate turned when she heard the woman's pleading. It was a young woman, with red hair. She was holding a baby.
"No, not Harry! Please! Anything but that!" The woman screamed as a flash of green light enveloped her body. The figure moved to the child, and Kate, panicking, reached for the horn at her side.
"Touch the child and the Wild Hunt shall take your life, and soul!" The figure did not turn, but raised the wand at the child. Kate put the horn to her lips and blew. The explosion deafened her. But she was not harmed. Neither, so it seemed, was the little boy. Kate shook her head and muttered a few words to clear the air. The figure in the black robes was gone, the Hunt never appeared. Kate waded through the rubble, trying to revive the young woman.
"Please, don't be dead! Don't be dead!" Kate cried out, "Please?" She picked the baby up, cradling him in her arms. He was such a little thing! There was the beginnings of a mop of black hair, and emerald green eyes looked at her tearfully. On his forehead, a livid scar burned bright.
"Harry?" She exclaimed, "I must be in the past. Oh Harry, I'm sorry. I am so sorry," she crooned to the crying child, "Hush now. Shall I sing for you? You'd like something soft, a lullaby? I really only know sad songs. How about Kathleen Mavourneen? It's my favorite. I sing it for my battlefield ghosts.
Kathleen Mavourneen! the grey dawn is breaking
The horn of the hunter is heard on the hill,
The lark from her light wing the bright dew is shaking
Kathleen Mavourneen – what slumbering still!
O hast thou forgotten how soon we must sever?
O hast thou forgotten this day we must part?
It may be for years and it may be forever;
Oh, why art thou silent, thou voice of my heart?
It may be for years, it may be forever;
Then why art thou silent, Kathleen Mavourneen?
Kathleen Mavourneen! awake from thy slumbers
The blue mountains glaw in the suns golden light,
Ah! Where is the spell that once hung on my numbers?
Arise in the beauty, thou star of my night.
Mavourneen, mavourneen, my sad tears are falling
To think that from Erin and thee I must part.
It may be for years, and it may be forever;
Oh, why art thou silent, thou voice of my heart?
It may be for years, and it may be forever;
Then why art thou silent, Kathleen Mavourneen?"
Kate sat there in the debris, singing to the baby. She sang many songs that night, till she saw the mighty voice of Hagrid, calling out for Baby Harry. She set him down gently and quickly hid behind a tree. If Hagrid had seen anything, he would have taken it for a ghost comforting the child. Kate watched till Hagrid had taken the child up, weeping noisily as he left.
The next scene was that of Dumbledore, cradling a newborn baby in his arms. She watched the child tug his beard and heard his laugh, "Oh yes, willful as a cat, aren't we Katherine Silverhair? I can see you'll be a force to reckon with when next I see you," Dumbledore set the baby in the cradle, and told the great scarlet and gold bird to look after her. He then left the room. Suddenly there was a bright blue light, and Kate saw the figure standing over the cradle. The man stood straight and turned, stormy blue eyes just like her own gazing gravely at her, not through her as the other adults had. He beckoned her over. The phoenix still stood at the cradle's side. She leaned over and saw the silver pendant she always wore gleaming round the neck of the baby.
"The past and the future meet in dreams, Kate. You'll forget this part till you have to remember. Morgana knows. Here now, give your grand- dad, several times removed, a kiss, Kate-Kat. You may look like Le Fey, but you've enough of me in you to keep things interesting," he kissed her forehead.
"Who are you?"
"Now, Kate, who else could I be?"
"Merlin?" The name echoed through the room and she heard Professor Dumbledore returning. Everything dissolved, Merlin, the phoenix, the cradle, the office.