Disclaimer: 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.
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Chapter Three
"Madam Pomfrey! I'm fine! I have to meet Professor Snape today in the dungeon! You know how he is about tardiness!" Catrin got out of her original 'let me go' plead to a 'Professor Snape will kill me' plead.
Madam Pomfrey looked at Catrin with a shrewd eye. "Fine! Just for that time though, I want you straight back here if he doesn't come, or after the session! No ifs, buts, or maybes about it! I will not have you fainting into your potion and I have never allowed a student to leave unless they were completely well! So hear this: if you do not come back, I will be forced to hunt you down, and that could be very unpleasant, for the both of us!"
"Yes Madam Pomfrey," Catrin decided to go with the plan. She got out of bed, but the moment her feet touched the floor, the world spun and she sat back down on the bed.
"Ha! Not so well after all, are we Catrin?" Madam Pomfrey crowed happily. She shoved a cup full of a disgusting smelling substance into Catrin's hand. "Drink. Or I won't let you go."
Catrin held her nose, and begun swallowing.
"Weasly, stay here, not you, this Weasly," Snape pointed to Ginny and dismissed Ron at the end of class. All the students were filing out after a day of copying notes from Snape's chicken-scratching handwriting and his speedy-talking.
"Yes Professor?" Ginny asked.
Snape scowled. "Miss. Kismet was meant to meet me this afternoon. Assure her that she will be here, and I will tolerate no tardiness. Go," he waved his arm and Ginny walked out after thanking him. Catrin had asked Snape for help? Ginny scowled, and then took it off her face. It didn't look good to be scowling at imaginary things, she would ask Catrin later.
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. I understand, I'll just study until my appointment," Catrin said, happy to be out of the hospital ward.
"Not in the library, see here? I don't want anybody else getting sick and I don't want you getting sicker," Pomfrey scowled as she let Catrin go.
"Thank you Madam Pomfrey. I promise, I'll go to a room that I sometimes study in," Catrin thanked the lady—she dreaded to think of what would happen to her if she referred to Pomfrey as a 'nurse'—and rushed out of the ward.
Walking along the cold halls reminded her of her potions appointment. She was supposed to go back to the hospital ward to make sure she was okay afterwards, but she decided not to. She was healthy enough, and missing Advanced Defense could drop her grade drastically.
She turned a few corners and found herself in what she like to think of as her 'private study room'. It was a small room, with large windows, and it had these strange ledges jutting out of the stone walls, providing good seats. Catrin's feet dangled above the floor if she sat on most of them.
She curled up with her Defense Against the Dark Arts book back against the sun-warmed window. She was reading the chapter on werewolves, having heard so much about Remus Lupin, and not waiting for her class lessons on it. Her mechanical watch beeped twice before the door creaked open, and Ginny's head popped through.
"Catrin, what are you doing here?" she asked, happily. They exchanged a quick hug and Ginny sat down next to Catrin.
"I was studying before my meeting with Snape," Catrin said, stretching out and easing her stiff muscles. She looked at her watch, "I've been here for nearly two hours now."
"Well, we just finished our last class. Come on, your potions stuff is already there, I took it for you. I'll walk you," Ginny stood up and offered an arm for Catrin.
"Thanks. I can walk myself if you wanted to go do something, I think you might want to go into Hogsmeade soon, the Yule ball's this weekend.
"Yeah. I'll think about it. Not today, though. Do you think Snape'll let me stay for your thing?" Ginny asked. Catrin shook her head emphatically. "Didn't think so." They walked up to the door and Ginny left Catrin. "I'll be in the common room if you want me," she said.
Catrin entered the dungeon before she could chicken out. It was cold, and no trace of the warmth from the previous class lingered there. She sat down by her cauldron and read the notes on the board from Snape.
Miss Kismet,
I shall be late to our meeting, please copy out the instructions on page 477 and brew the following potion. (I have altered it slightly to make it less potent and more effective.)
counter-poison: arsenic
Mandrake root
Arsenic (pure elemental form)
Cately essence
Warring roots—shredded finely
Aardvark bile
Deui le Roi
All the ingredients can be found in the small store cupboard in my room. It has been left unlocked for this purpose. Do not take anything other than what is required.
Professor Severus Snape
Catrin took out her book and flipped to the page, pulling her cape closer around her. She read through the instructions and carefully took the required amount of each ingredient from Snape's cupboard. Everything was neatly arranged, alphabetically, and labeled. She sent a heat charm to the furthest corner of the room and lit up a small fire beneath her cauldron.
She was halfway through the potion when the door creaked and someone walked in. She knew who it was immediately; she didn't even need to look. "Bugger off Malfoy."
"I thought you'd be in here," he said, ignoring her request.
"Did Snape send you to meet me?" she asked, acidly.
"No. I overheard your conversation. It's like an oven in here," he replied.
Catrin sniffed, her nose was blocked and she was cold, "I was cold."
"Well, you don't look cold now. You look sick," he replied, sitting down across the isle from her.
"I just got out of the hospital ward, what makes you think I'm sick?" Catrin asked, her words slightly slurred.
"That," Malfoy replied, stretching out his long legs.
Catrin stood up to add the aardvark bile. Her head spun and the floor rocked and rolled. She shook her head and went to get a little more of the mandrake root from Snape's cupboard. The potion wasn't the colour it was mean to be, and she thought she hadn't added enough Mandrake root.
The strong scent of the cupboard put an edge on her fuzzy mind. She walked drunkenly back to the cauldron, dropping in the Mandrake root.
"There's a brew in the cupboard that would take your headache away, at least for an hour," Malfoy suggested, leaning back on his chair. "Willowbark."
"I am not taking anything from Snape's cupboard. I will not!" she exclaimed. They sat in silence—in no way companionable silence—as the potion finished brewing. Catrin got up and ladled it into a small vial, plugging the top with a cork. She dragged the rest of the potion over to the side of the room, where she let it sit. Professor Snape often wanted to look at their potions other than what was left for him. Catrin scribbled a note on a piece of parchment and, after packing everything up, walked up to the table and left it and the vial there. As she walked back her world spun again, and this time Draco made it to the roof. She twisted her head sideways, in time to hear Draco's quiet remark of "that was graceful."
She turned her head back up the right way, and wobbled on the spot. She knew what was happening, but she refused to let it happen. Just as she fell, she whispered, "catch me…"
Draco jumped and caught Catrin as she fainted backwards. He scooped her up in both arms—she was surprisingly light—and carried her outside. Silly thing, he though softly, as her head tucked in against his chest. He walked up the few stairwells and down the halls to the hospital ward. He observed her in her sleep. She was softer, when she slept, less lethal, less likely to bit off your head. He noticed that she wore no makeup, unlike many of the girls at Hogwarts, and, for the first time, really saw how radiant her hair was. It had three main colours, dark brown, copper and a lighter brown. In between all of this there were scatterings of blonde, apricot and red. It was actually a charm gone awry, but he didn't know that, and presumed it to be her natural colour. As he turned onto the hall that the hospital ward was on he bumped into—literally—a Weasly. Two Weaslys, a Potter and a Granger to be exact.
"What are you doing here?" Ron snarled, holding Fidget in his arms.
"Is that…Is that Catrin?" Ginny asked. The ferret crawled over Ron and Ginny to drop at Draco's feet, whining and reaching up his leg.
"Why are you holding Catrin?" Harry asked, more surprised than annoyed—for the moment.
"She fainted in Snape's dungeon. I was walking by and picked her up, is it your problem?" he replied. Ron snarled.
"We can take her the hospital ward now," he said. Hermione, who had been strangely silent the whole time, got out her wand, ready to cast a spell.
"Never mind. The door is only up the hall. I'm quite sure I can manage, and the faster she gets there, the better, get it?" Draco said, pushing his way through the crowd. Ron rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, about to make a sarcastic remark. He shut up at Hermione's look and they trailed Draco to the hospital ward.
No one though to pick up Fidget, and after the little ferret and snarled, he followed them, scampering in the rolling way that always made them laugh so much.
"I told her to come back. Thank goodness that Mr. Malfoy took her here as soon as he could. The fever can be cured quickly, but if she had left it too long it might have become pneumonia, or worse. Fifteen points for Slytherin," Madam Pomfrey announced, tucking her charge into the bed. She had been as protective as a hen, tsk tsk-ing when Malfoy brought Catrin in.
"Thankyou, Madam Pomfrey," Malfoy said, before leaving the room.
Ginny sat on the end of the bed, stroking an annoyed Fidget.
Harry Ron and Hermione were standing around. Ron ran his hands through his hair in a gesture that looked much like Charlie's. "I cannot believe that that two-faced weasel actually brought her here, there's something under this," he scowled.
Harry sighed, "Yeah, well we can't do anything about it, can we?"
"None of that talk here, thank you. Now, out. My patient needs rest, you can come back tonight," Madam Pomfrey shooed them out of the room. Everyone, including Fidget, looked sad.
"Old hen," said Hermione quietly.
Fidget poked his tongue out at the receding back.
Catrin's eyes fluttered open and she saw a pointed face leering over her. "Fidget!" she exclaimed, scratching the ferret under the chin when she managed to get her hand out of the blankets in the bed. She took a look around, she was back in the infirmary, and it felt like Madam Pomfrey had tied her to the bed using the blankets. She struggled out of them and up onto the pile of pillows.
"Catrin, how are you?" Ginny's face was one of utter concern for her friend. Catrin smiled at Ginny and looked around. Harry, Ron and Hermione were here. She hadn't expected that. She counted them as friends, as they had been spending so much time together, but her standing in their minds was a mystery.
"You feeling better, kid?" Harry asked. Catrin smiled. She should have known that last nights display of friendship was more than just teammate concern.
"Yeah. I'm still spinning, but I think I'll live," she smiled shakily, and Ginny laughed. Catrin petted Fidget, holding him close.
"You want to know who brought you up here?" Ron asked mischievously. Catrin scowled.
"I already know. Malfoy."
"Did Madam Pomfrey tell you?" asked Hermione.
Catrin shook her head. "He came into the dungeon to bug me about something. I just managed to faint when I was there. I remember being picked up," she replied. She didn't mention whispering 'catch me' to Draco as she fell.
"The little—" Ron started.
Hermione cut him off. "Don't worry. It's not worth fighting over. Anyway, we'd better go, Mcgonagall wants to talk to us about something." Catrin nodded, drowsiness had already taken her.
"Will you come back tomorrow?" she asked, yawning.
Ginny kissed her on the cheek and Harry tousled her hair. "Of course."
Catrin lay with her back to the wall, eyes closed. After her friends had left she had slept for a few hours, until waking up starving. Fidget, who had been banned from the ward, had somehow snuck back in, and Madam Pomfrey had made no move to oust him as she served Catrin her dinner. She was bored, the lights were out and she had nothing to do other than dwell on her thoughts. For a while she had thought about the potion she brewed, wondering if Snape would like it. Then she had considered her relationships with Harry, Ron and Hermione. It seemed…more than friendly, like an almost brotherly love. Almost. She knew something was going on between Harry and Ginny, she just didn't know what.
The door to the infirmary opened and Catrin snapped here eyes shut and relaxed, hoping it wasn't Madam Pomfrey come to make sure she was asleep. The curtain around her bed rustled and she regulated her breathing, trying to slow her heartbeat. Whoever it was it wasn't Pomfrey. Their step was light as a cat's, and she heard the rustle of cloth. A rough knuckle grazed her temple, and fine soft hair flopped over her face as someone bent to kiss her cheek. Catrin tried desperately to still her heart, trying to save embarrassment—her's or the stranger's she didn't know. She heard the rustle of clothes, and her curtain opened and closed, and the person was gone.
Catrin lay awake for a while, just thinking. Then, as the moon slowly set outside her window, she slipped into sleep.
It was early afternoon when Catrin finally woke up. She heard Hagrid's booming voice talking to Madam Pomfrey.
"I don' know how he did it. Be'n so careful an' the likes with him. Since I managed to get a grant to keep a dragon finally, the silly littl' bugger's been onto me. He's bitten' me twice today!"
"Calm down, Reubus!" Madam pomfrey scolded.
"Why? There's no one in here," Hagrid replied.
"Miss Kismet's been taken sick. Almost turned into pneumonia, and she needs her sleep!"
Catrin listened, straining to hear any sound. Hagrid had been immensely pleased when he had finally wheedled the Ministry down enough to get a dragon. He'd seen Norbert recently in Romania, when he went to talk to Charlie about what type of dragon to get, and Charlie had had a hard time convincing him not to get another Ridgeback. Hagrid had finally agreed to get an opaleye, one of the prettiest dragons, mainly because Dumbledore didn't want something that was inclined to eat the students.
Hagrid pulled the curtain back and looked at her. "Didn' think you were asleep," he said, smiling.
Catrin grinned, "How's the dragon?" she asked. The egg had only hatched a few days ago and Hagrid still hadn't named it.
"Fine. He got me a good one on the nose the other day," Hagrid indicated to the bandage on his nose, and Catrin laughed. "I got some good news for yeh, too. Dumbledore's organisin' for some students to go on camp o' sorts. It's a combination of Astronomy, Herbology, Potions and Care of Magical Creatures, so I got to choose some students. We have abou' a dozen people going, and you're one of them. Harry and Ron and Hermione and Ginny go' told yesterday by McGonagall but I'm sure you didn' know.
"Nope. Ginny hasn't been by today so they didn't tell me yet. It'll be great to go, how are we getting there though? If it's to do with all of those subjects I'm sure that the Hogwarts Express can't get us there…"
"Tha's the greatest part abou' it! You have the choice of riding Winged Horses or Hippogriff's there! I'll be takin' yeh all to base camp, and then I'll leave you there. They have an arsenal o' teachers there," Hagrid said gleefully.
"That's great! Hey, my uncle breeds winged horses…do you know him? Emery Kismet?" Catrin asked.
Hagrid nodded. "That's who we're getting' the horses from, Mr. Kismet's also going to be teachin' there, or so 'e said in the letter."
"Thanks Hagrid. If McGonagall asks, I'll be sure not to tell her you told me already!" Catrin replied as he stood up to leave. "Could you send up some of your rock toffee as well? I need some of that." Hagrid smiled at her request, Catrin was one of the few people who liked his rock toffee.
"Sure. I'll see yeh soon," Hagrid smiled and walked out. Madam Pomfrey walked in.
"Well. I'm sure you're proud of yourself. Fainting, 'I don't faint…'"
"Well, I don't normally, the classroom was just…hotter than normal," Catrin said defiantly.
Madam Pomfrey snorted. "Of course it was, what with the heat charms that you had in there. Professor Snape also wants to know if you added anything extra to the potion, as it worked particularly well, and if there were any conditions that he should know about."
"Uh-huh. Let's see. Add about half a gallon of sweat, some pneumonia bacteria, heat the room to 50º C, and brew while near death," Catrin said sardonically. Madam Pomfrey bustled out of the room, to let afternoon sunshine stream in through the opened curtains.
"Well. You are in a foul mood. You can have visitors during lunch, and…oh, for goodness' sake! Don't. Get. Sick," Pomfrey accentuated her words at an unknown visitor.
"Hi Catrin," Colin Creevey walked over to her bed. Catrin indicated to one of the many chairs surrounding her bed.
"Take a seat."
Colin sat down. "I wanted to see how you were going, and all. You know, word got around pretty fast that you were sick." Catrin nodded. Colin was one of the Quidditch reserves anyway, she didn't think much of this visit.
"I expected it to. Without the gossip that goes through here, the walls would cave in," Colin laughed at her joke.
"It seems that way," Colin wrung his hands nervously. Catrin didn't really know why he was here, they weren't particularly good friends… but it seemed that Colin wanted to say something. "Were you going to the Yule on Saturday night?" Colin asked suddenly.
Catrin thought about it for a moment. "No. If I'm well enough to be let out of here, I'll have plenty of catch-up to do, and I need to see McGonagall before Christmas break as well…"
"Oh," Colin said, looking depressed. He had dirty blonde hair the flopped over his face all the time, and twinkling blue eyes. Many third- and fourth-years had crushes on him. Catrin didn't really think much of him. Maybe I'm just really fussy, she scowled to herself, after thinking about Colin's looks. "So, if someone asked would you go with them?"
Colin snapped Catrin out of her reverie. "Yeah, sure. Probably. Why not? I could always get Hermione to help with my homework—"
"So, do you want to go with me?" Colin asked. Catrin closed her eyes and tried not to make any sudden movements. Delicate situation, she thought, do not screw it up. She looked Colin over again. He didn't look…bad, just not her type…no one was her type.
"I guess. I'll have to ask Madam Pomfrey if I can go…hey, you didn't come by last night by any chance did you?" Catrin asked, remembering her midnight visitor.
Colin shook his head, confused. "Nope. But, it's great that you're coming. I'll see you round!" He stood up just as the door to the ward opened, and Ginny walked in, trailed by Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"Well, aren't I popular," Catrin said, grinning in spite of herself. Ginny scowled.
"Snape interrogated me for an hour, and hour stuck with Snape in a freezing dungeon, before he got the hint that I wasn't helping you with your stupid counter-poison and neither was Hermione!" she growled.
"Don't worry. Ginny's just pissed because Neville asked her to the Yule, again," Ron said, ruffling Ginny's hair. Harry blushed.
"Why did Neville ask her again? Surely he doesn't have a crush on her…" Catrin taunted. It was common knowledge that Neville Longbottom had a crush on Ginny after last year when he had tipped over three statues when Ginny hugged him for taking her to the Yule ball. It wasn't that Neville was ugly, it was more that he was…not the ideal person for a boyfriend. "So, what did you say?"
"I told him that I couldn't go with him." Ginny replied evasively.
"Why not?" Catrin said. Ron and Hermione were in fits of giggles. Hermione was clinging to her chair in trying not to laugh, Ron was holding onto Hermione's arm to stop himself falling over. Harry was blushing, again.
"Because I'm already going with someone," Ginny said, again. She was beginning to blush as red as her hair, her blue eyes looked down.
"With who?"
"Whom," Ginny told Catrin.
"Who, whom, it's all the same thing. Who asked you?" Catrin replied.
"They didn't ask me," Ginny replied, blushing, if possible, even redder.
Catrin sighed loudly. This was like squeezing blood out of a stone, "Come on, tell."
"Why?" Ginny asked. Harry was blushing as well, and there was a knock on the wall.
"Is this a private party, or can anyone join?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Sure, come on Professor. You might have avoided it for now, Gin, but you are so not off the hook," Catrin told her. She turned to the professor. "Yes Professor?"
"Miss Kismet. I wanted to inform you about an out-of –school activity you will be participating for the next two months. Professor Dumbledore and many other headmasters have arranged a camp of sorts. You will be spending the next two months of school—almost all your time—at this camp. I suggest as soon as you get out of the hospital you start packing. The Headmaster and I will inform you—and your peers—" McGonagall peered around at the rest of the people in the room "about the informational issues of the camp. There will be several meetings over the next few weeks before you leave, and messages have been sent home to your parents in case they need to contact you. I expect you in Professor Dumbledore's office first thing Sunday morning. Thankyou for you time, and I wish you a speedy recovery," McGonagall was prefessional as usual, and walked out.
"Thanks Professor!" yelled Catrin from behind her.
"We'd better go. Madam Pomfrey will be after our blood," Harry said. Waving they left, Catrin scowled at Ginny's evasion of who she was going to the Yule with, but she knew anyway.
"I know those two just couldn't keep their hands off each other," she scowled, as Madam Pomfrey waddled in with a vile smelling brew.
"Drink it," she warned, at Catrin's first balk of the thing. Catrin held her nose, and downed mouthful after mouthful of the disgusting liquid.
Catrin, despite her own better judgment this time, was packing up her stuff to leave the hospital ward. Madam Pomfrey had told her that she was fine, and as much as she believed it, Catrin did not want to be carried back to the Hospital Ward after fainting again.
The door to the ward opened, and a pretty looking girl with straight black hair and a distinctive sneer on her face walked into the room. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Catrin packing up.
"Dana," Catrin said, through clenched teeth. The girl smirked.
"Catrin. I heard you were sick, and getting that…Granger to do your homework for you. I wouldn't have come except Professor McGonagall asked me to come and tell you that you have a meeting in Dumbledore's office, and I'm to take you there," Dana Reiwald looked slightly irritated.
"Did the Professor tell you what the meeting was about?" Catrin asked, putting the last of her books in her bag.
"About the…camp."
"And I presume you weren't invited?" Catrin immediately knew what this was about. Dana was smart—very smart, but not smart enough to compete with Ginny or Hermione. She had tried to get into the Advanced Potions class, and had succeeded, but when Dumbledore pushed Ginny and Catrin up to Snape's 6th year class, she was furious. She had battled with the teachers for ages trying to get them to let her go up. The camp, Catrin had heard from Ginny the previous night, was only open to 6th years and up. They had only managed to get in because they were taking a 6th year class of the requirement.
"Just because your parents managed to squeeze you into the advanced classes doesn't mean you're any better than me. I'm just waiting to see how long those it will take those classes to make you pop." Dana spat out.
"I know my own way to Dumbledore's office, thank you Dana," Catrin walked out of the infirmary and turned back to Dana, who was walking in the opposite direction. Dana's other great weakness was her everlasting battle to get Harry to notice her, she wanted to go out with him, and not because he was good looking. "And don't think you have a hope in hell of going out with Harry," she yelled back to her, Dana turned toward Catrin and scowled, "The Boy who Lived would never go out with The Girl who—Hello Professor."
Dana scowled and hurried off in the other direction, Catrin smiled at that, and replied to Professor Sinistra's questions about her health.
A/N: Well? Did you like it? You bloody well better have. I worked my butt of for this chapter. I've had it done for a while, but I was just too lazy to upload it, as well FF.net has been all screwy. So review, all of it. Next chapter: more fluff (not literally), we meet Catrin's wonderful uncle, our plot thickens, we have fun playing with emotions and Divination books, and possibly a wonderfully insightful trip to the Gryffindor bathrooms. If you're lucky. If and lucky being the operative words there. But, unfortunately, another two chapters until you get a ball, yes, maggots, I love you, but you will have to wait.
Have fun while I'm gone!
Read something good and worthwhile!
Ta
Matrices