Chapter 7
The Good Life
Disclaimer- I'm lazy. See previous notes. I own only myself (mostly) and the situations I create. If you wanna borrow them, ask. I'm sure the people in my head will let you at them. They're all pretty sick of evil plot bunnies stealing their living space.
A/n- Alright, early warning system here. I know Wufei's gonna start throwing rotten veggies at me soon (as all authors or author-wanna-bes like myeslf have a massive phobia of them). That's why I'm hiding. (Gulps) Well, anyway, I *finally* finished this chapter, which is the end of Meeting Snuffles. Yeah, it's technically not over. You think I'd let Wuffles off that easily (doges rotten tomato). I plan to make this the first of three. (it's a trilogy! ^^;;) Kinda like Star Wars, only without the money. This note is so you realize there is a reason I created the gundam girls and *peter* chang (snickers, Wufei passes out), who you will meet ahead. I'm gunna write the second story (tentitivly called 'Aftermath') from the pov of Kate's family and the 3rd will be from the pov of the girls and peter (laughs again as Wufei's limp body twitches).
MysticSorceror- (sniffles) Someone out there.. really cares! (cries). See that, Wufei, I'm not *as* pathetic as all that! Yeah, Justice boy, explain this! I didn't even pay them or anything! About spacing my chapters better, I actaully have a firm timeline set up from my next story/part. Well, for the first few chapters. I'll try. Thanks for the review, it means allot.
On with the story, and please remember to r/r!
Kate stared in mute horror at the chart on the wall. She shook her head and rubbed the worry lines she could feel forming on her forehead. Her headache was back in full force.
"It's too late to figure this out..." Kate mumbled as she slumped down the hallway to her room. She passed by the four-poster beds without looking at them. She didn't want to know who was in them.
She noted her trunk was pushed against the bed by the window, far away from the other beds near the door. Kate plopped down on the bed without further thought and was fast asleep, headache and all, before her head hit the pillow.
"Raise and shine, sleepy-head!" Called an extremely chipper voice, followed by a series of giggles. Kate's only response, was to grumble mono-sylables into her pillow and roll away from the bright a cheerful intruders. They couldn't be talking to her. And even if they were, Kate thought to herself as she pulled the blankets over her head to avoid the sun streaming through dark red drapes, anyone who was sick enough to be cheerful this early was not someone she wanted to meet.
"Go 'way." She muttered into the pillow. There was sand under her eyelids and cotton shoved all the way through one ear and out the other. It was probably a good thing Kate couldn't see this intruder, or she would be tempted to tumble out of bed and smother her.
"Get up lazy-bones, you've got to tell us what to do!" There was that inpertinant voice again. Kate's brain was waking up in extremely slow stages, so this statement didn't register in her foggy excuse for a brain. Then another gear in the chaser's brain snapped into life and she realized the pounding in her head was a headache.
"You made it to your room. What more do you want?" She grumbled again, her voice doing it's best impression of a frog. There was more giggles from the same invisible voice, but another invivible someone cleared their throat and an invisible 'be careful, it might wake up' glare was thrown.
"Bugger you all. I'm up already. Gah!" Kate's voice tested out several pitches before deciding on her normal tone. Kate realized she was awake now, and her bed was getting uncomfortable, strange as that was. She was going to have to get out of bed soon, and she didn't want any of these giggling people to help her. Opting for the all or nothing approach, Kate flung herself upward with a small grunt, opened her eyes, and began falling back to the bed. Like a long-jumper who suddenly realized she wasn't going to make it, Kate flailed her arms for all she was worth and managed to catch one of the poles holding up her canopy. She promptly slumped against it and closed her eyes. From the brief glimpse she had gotten of her new room-mates, it was as she had suspected.
She'd become a babysitter. That was what the friendly Gryffs referred to it as, anyway. Most of the Gryffindor girls would never admit 'babysitters' existed.
Back a couple hundred years, a Gryffindor head girl had been conversing with another seventh year Ravenclaw (only 7th years were made head boys/girls). The Ravenclaw had been appalled to learn there was no Gryff sex-ed. There was no formal health class at Hogwarts at all. This wasn't really a surprise, considering it was founded in a time period when it was impolite to mention pregnancy. It was called a woman's 'condition' and strictly taboo. Girls had been forced to go on what Mommy told them before they left (nothing) and the bits of truth gleaned from the traditional horror stories told in the girls bathroom. Essentially, it was every girl for herself in puberty.
Rowena Ravenclaw was smarter than her male co-founders in that aspect (and others, but that was an argument Kate didn't want to take up with the Ravenclaws).
After hearing about the system in place in the girl Ravenclaw dorms, the nameless Gryffindor head girl set about using her powers to create a similar system in the Gryff dorms. She used her status as head girl to create several reforms in the girls dorm. Girls were assigned chores (although few were needed, what were house elves for?), which rotated monthly and were posted on the back of the door into the girl's dorm. On of her more revolutionary changes was creating babysitters.
Sitters were seventh year non-prefect girls selected at random to have three to four girls transferred into their dorms. These transfer students where usually second to fourth year girls who hadn't yet experienced the wonders of puberty. Sitters were granted special rights in the dorm and notified of secret passages to help them look after their charges. Sitters had a head start on all the other seventh years.
This would have been great by itself, but this nameless head girl was too Gryffindor for her own good. She told all the other Gryffs just what sort of privileges the sitters had that other seventh years didn't have. Plus, she was known for her harsh discipline. Most reforms she made where tossed out a few years after she left. Sitters where about the only tradition that survived, and they suffered for being her idea. Besides, most Gryff students had bad memories of their old sitter, and refused to be friendly to the type of person who abused their power. Whatever the reason, all Gryffindor babysitters where ignored by their previous friends.
Babysitters were outcasts in their own house. Kate had seen it happen before. She wasn't really a part of the 7th year Gryffindors anymore, no matter what the yearbook would say. And like most other students in Hogwarts, most of Kate's friends were in 7th Year. Now at least Kate knew why she hadn't seen her friends, the other Gryffindor chasers, on the train ride or at the feast. The boys didn't count one way or another, because she would follow her female friends away from her, and even if they didn't, boys weren't the best people to talk to. Not about anything really important.
Kate just wished... she wished Alicia and Angelina could have been bigger than that. .Merlin, now that she knew what it felt like, she wished she could have been bigger than that last year when Jamie Campau was made a babysitter. Then she shrugged it off, smiled and thought sarcastically to herself 'Well, I said I didn't want to grow up...'
"Alright, sound off. Who are you and what have you done to my life?" Kate recognized the girl who had so carefully woken her up, because her daredevil smile grew at Kate's words. She then mock-bowed and said in what Kate guess was her most solemn voice,
"I am called Mia Wiggin. And I have to say, I did nothing to your life. It got crappy on your merit." Mia was a short Asian girl with shoulder length black hair , deep brown eyes that looked to much like the twin's eyes to be comfortable, and a heart-shaped face split by a wide grin. Mia's slanted eyes squinted when she smiled, but Kate could almost feel a cloud of buoyancy surrounding the girl. The girl next to her rolled her eyes at Mia and smiled tolerantly at Kate.
"I'm Stella Finnigan. Sorry about Mia, she's a little crazy in the head." Stella gave Kate her winning smile. She was a short as Mia with strawberry blonde hair to around her shoulders as well, and she had bright gray eyes that sparkled with kindness. She was extremely pale, like most people at Hogwarts, whether they taught or learned. Unlike most adults, however, Stella's face was a mass of freckles, which didn't seem to belong on such a mature girl.
The next student looked over a Kate, shrugged and said nothing. Stella shook her head and sighed. Kate smiled to herself, there was a close friendship in the making. Stella was too sweet to let this girl stay quiet for long.
"That's Bonny. She hasn't told us her last name." Kate raised an eyebrow at Bonny and the American stared back flatly. She also had dark brown eyes, like Mia. However, the feel behind their eyes couldn't be more different. While Mia's eyes could easily look out of the twin's bodies, Bonny's eyes belonged on the man who called himself Snuffles. Kate stared at the girl whose brown hair disappeared from view down her back and wondered what had made her so quiet. She silently asked her if she realized what she was getting into with Stella, but she didn't get to see the answer because the last girl captured Kate's attention.
"Shadrach Maxwell." She stated clearly. Her auburn hair was hacked off at her ears and her hazel eyes were solemn and calm. While Bonny was quiet because she was to shy to talk, Shadrach didn't talk because she didn't have anything she thought was worth wasting breath on. Kate got the impression she always knew what she was doing, and if she didn't she was extremely good at faking it.
"As you may already know, my name is Kate Bell, and" Kate smiled at Mia, "I'm god so far as you are concerned. What year are you, anyway?" Kate asked the question to the air in front of her, knowing who was going to answer and looking forward to it. Mia never backed down from a challenge, it seemed, because she laughed and put her hands together in prayer.
"Oh lord-er-lady-er-*God* this would be my second season at tho holiest school." Kate snickered at Mia's performance and earned disapproving looks from Stella and Shadrach, and a blank one from Bonny. She could get these kiddies, stick-in-the-muds and all.
School started the next day, and life settled into an acceptable pattern. Then again, Kate reflected, it's amazing what becomes acceptable when you can't change it.
...As I was saying, life settled down into a relaxed anticipation of Halloween. The young Gryffindor chaser still avoided the Slytherins with a passion after her run-in with Draco Malfoy. Lucky for her he was in a different year. Kate learned to 'hang out' with younger Gryffindors and made lots of friends with Hufflepuffs. This surprised her, because like the rest of the school she had come to accept that Hufflepuffs were losers. In reality, she learned they didn't care about the image their house projected, and thought for themselves. This commonly led to their ignoring traditions they thought were a waste of time, ignoring Qudditch because they weren't interested because they didn't care if the other teams thought of them and the like. Kate again berated herself for following the sheep-herd at school and missing up on some really great friends.
For the most part Kate helped her 'children' but being the arrogant teenager outcast is a difficult life, and no day was complete until Kate yelled at them about something stupid. She became absorbed in the difficulties of her fate, and her charges were sometimes forced to fend for themselves. This made Kate their leader only in name, she was their blacksheep and sometimes close friend.
Mia, Stella, Bonny and Shadrach became extremely close, a closeness that would make them as famous as the Gryffindor Trio. They, dispite their differences, became quite the team, and Mia swore if they ever got seperated by class schedules, she would threaten Dumbledore himself to get it fixed.
The girls stuck together through everything, but soon academics lost it's challenge (if it ever had any) and they moved on to more interesting puzzles. It didn't matter what type. Acing a test, making friends with the Slytherins, foiling the twin's new prank, transfiguing all the Ravenclaw Qudditch robes to Gryffindor right before the match.
They quickly grew bored of these small things and looked again for more difficult things to defeat. They nearly met their match with Peter Chang.
Peter was a third year Hufflepuff and the black sheep of the badger house. He was out spoken, sexist and bad tempered. Mia determined he was their next target.
Kate tried to stay netural when the topic of the girl's latest 'missions' came up, but most of them were downright hysterical. Oh course, by onspoken agreement Kate never tattled on her charges and they never betrayed her for taking late night walks like most people with things on their mind.
"Alright, Stella, you're our outside woman. Gain his confidence. Bonny, espionase. I want to know what he does, why he does it, when and where, except what goes on in the boys toilet. Shadrach, recon. I want to know what his hobbies are and what he's interested in from all the other Hufflepuffs. I don't know how you do it, but I don't know anyone else that can make people talk as freely as they talk around you. Go get 'em!"
"What are you doing, Mia?"
Smile. "That's easy. I'm your leader. Bring everything you learn to me. We begin this on Halloween day"
Kate was the most excited about the upcoming Halloween, although she thought it below her to explain to her new roommates.
Halloween. Most muggle-borns didn't know it, but Halloween was a time of powerful magic. Power built and magic became even more unpredictable than usual, which why all classes were forced to avoid hands-on projects, because everyone had a tendency to blow things up. Snape, of course, kept up normal classes as usual, causing more trips to the infirmary than he really had to, and punishing Gryffindor and Hufflepuff alike. Hallween was his favorite time of the year. Kate was worried about potions class with the Hufflepuffs, on Halloween day, but Snape saved Madame Pomfrey a hassle (mostly because she threatened him with pink robes) and called a test instead.
Amedeaus Deckson, a seventh year Hufflepuff Kate knew, managed to blow up his test anyway.
Kate teased him about that all the way to the Great Hall and right up to his table. She even took the liberty of sitting through lunch with him, and informing all his classmates about his little escapade. Kate couldn't help laughing at poor Amedeaus. She offered to help him in Muggle Studies next week to make up for it, but Kate knew it wouldn't be the last time she made fun of her friend. Amedeus (or Ami, as she called him) was too much fun to make fun of. The way his face got all red... it gave her a major *evil* rush. Kate shook her head at herself, amusing some of the Hufflepuffs. She shruged and smiled a little.
"Guess I'm too hyper for my own good." They silently agreed, and Kate dove into her lunch. She just knew she could use her 'magic sense' tonight.
"Hey Peter!" Kate looked up from her mashed potatos. She knew that voice.
'Wait... wait. Five, four, three, two....'
"No, get away you Gryffindork!" Whined another voice.
'Yup, it's Mia and the girls' Kate concluded. After all, who sounded that cheerful and made everyone she knew groan in annoyance on sight? Only Mia, and where she went, Shadrach, Stella and Bonny followed. She waved good-naturedly to her charges.
"Hey girls. Who's on the torture list today?" Mia pointed to a small Chinese boy who was trying to hide behind the boy sitting next to him. He looked up at Kate and glared at her. Shaking his head flamboyantly (is *that* a word? Goodness knows...) he spoke to Kate in a mencing tone unbefitting a third year with mashed potatos and peas stuck to his elbow (aquired during his attempted retreat).
"I am Chang Peter, the victim of these onna's injustice." Stella giggled a little and offered her hand to Peter.
"Hey, I'm Stella Finnigan, and I was wondering... does your GameBoy work?" She asked politely. "because I overheard you talking to a fifth year about it. My brother, Seamus, told me it was okay to bring it, but once I got on the train it didn't work." Stella continued to speak to the Chinese boy, and Kate and Mia exchanged a look.
"*Peter*. Good god Mia. What are you trying to pull?" Kate nabed Mia and asked her as the other girls split up to begin their individual missions. Mia shruged and grinned again.
"His housemates asked me to... you know." She tried to explain.
"Get the stick out of his butt?" Kate questioned. Mia nodded.
"They want him to loosen up. And if I was reading their hints right, they want his boxers on the flag pole next Slytherin game." Kate looked intriged and moved away from Peter who was currently complaining about his GameBoy to Stella.
"Why Sltherin?" Mia grin grew even wider, and Kate idlity wondered if it hurt.
"That's the beauty of it. His crush, some fifth year by the name of Blaise, is in Slytherin. The Hufflepuffs are a little tired of him yelling "Injustice" when he gets mad. And the girls are around here are pissed off at getting called weak onnas."
"What's an onna?"Kate asked. Shadrach popped up out of nowhere to answer.
"Woman in Japanese. The way he says it, it's ment to be a cuss word." She added. Kate shook her head in awe.
"That's mean. But, seriously, I pity Blaise. I can help you. Maybe if I fix his GameBoy, he'll warm up to you girls a little." Kate offered.
She figured tonight the magic would be running high, and she could fix her own CD-player. Who knew what what she could do? If she could call on the magic to help her again, anything seemed possible. Shadrach smilpy raised her eyebrow and moved on, stating more clearly than words would have she didn't give a rat's arse. Mia looked highly amused.
"Yeah right. Stella complained about her GameBoy in the common room and one of the other older years, some Hermoine Granger, gave her a mouthful about how 'It says in 'Hogwarts, A Histoy' that there's too much magic concentrated at Hogwarts for muggle stuff to work and how nobody seems to have read the novel'. I don't believe it." Kate shrugged. She was beginning to realize it might not be a good thing to draw attention to her 'talent'. However, she was still determind to help. Peter really needed to losen up, and if they didn't make Peter's attitude worse, they woulcd make him a lot more pleasent to be around.
"Just give me a chance, kay Mia?" Kate begged.
'I think this is just my excuse to fiddle with magic sensing. I think I'm obsessed. Great.' Mia considered, then with a flop, she nodded and pointed towards where Peter was pouting and Stella was trying to get his attention. Bonny looked up from her work and shot an amazed look at Stella. If even Finnigan couldn't pull the boy out of his shell, there really was no hope for him. Kate silently agreed, but she figured it would help once his undies saw sunlight. Well, maybe not, but just imaging the look on his face was making it hard for her to stop giggling. She pulled herself together as lunch was almost over and walked over to the Hufflepuff.
"You said GameBoy, right? S'A muggle toy, right?" Kate asked pleasently. The boy nodded.
"It doesn't work, right?" Chang nodded the affirmitive. Kate smiled to herself and Mia flashed Stella the peace sign behind Kate's back. Mission accomplished.
"I can fix it... if you want." Kate said, voice innoccent. Peter eyed Kate suspiciously.
"Why do you want to help me, onna?" Kate's eye's narrowed.
"I want you to stop calling me onna. I have a name. Or perhaps you fear me...?" Kate made it sound like a question. Let the boy ponder that one. Peter bristled.
"I do not fear you. If you think you can fix my game system, I will not call you onna ever again." Kate smiled. That was enough for her. Not that she really needed anything in return, but what Peter didn't know wouldn't hurt him. After collecting Peter and Stella's GameBoy's and some games at dinner, she headed off to her room. Mia followed her.
"So, when will they be done, god?" Kate shruged. Now how was she going to answer that one?
After her charges left her alone, Kate got down to business.
'How did I do this last time?' Kate questioned in her dorm room. The library was too public, it rained yesterday so Qudditch field was out, and Alicia was sitting in the common room talking with the twins. That left only secret passages and empty classrooms. No fool did actual work in those. Such secret retreats were often shared by half the school and you never knew when an over-eager couple would stumble in near you.
Kate starred down at the assorted gaming material, her CD-player and both CD's she owned, one still in it's plastic. Her Simple Plan CD was open and Kate had removed the cover and changed the page so it showed lyrics. That picture was a little too much for second year girls to see without driving her insane with questions.
With a cover like that, Kate didn' know how she had bought the CD. In fact, she still wasn't really sure what happened after the sales clerk had decended on her, and the rest of her Muggle Studies Class assured her she wasn't the only one. Kate personally believed store clerks had some sort of non-magical ability to ensnare people with their eyes, maybe like a Veela.
'I'm just nervous. I've got to go ahead and do this, or I'll chicken out.'
'Why?' Kate wasn't totally sure why she was scared. It seemed she finally had something 'different' about her, something special was finally hers. She was afraid to discover it had all been a dream. Kate congratulated herself on discovering what was bugging her, but that didn't make it any better. She didn't want to find out this whole sensing magic ability was just a one-shot. Nice try, dream over, move on with your totally unremarkable life. Stealing her nerves, kate repeated something she'd heard Chris say once, which he claimed was from a book.
"Like is a dream from which was must all awaken." And she closed her eyes. Maybe she wasn't going to die, but Kate felt like she was about to wake up and she hoped she saw a world when she opened her eyes.
Not that Chris mentioned anything about the book, or that the people who believed life was a dream also said "May you sleep well and wake..." But that's not really part of the story.
Remus Lupin eyes his canine companion with more that a little distrust in the small muggle cafe.
"Are you sure this is the best idea?" He muttered to the black dog, a friend from his school days. From his gray hairs littering his hair like the first snow, such carefree days that are enjoyed during school years where long behind him, and his companion as well.
It had been almost two years since Sirius's face was aired on the British televison, but muggles seemed to find preverse pleasure in ruining each other's day. Better to be passed over as another crazy talking to his dog that a 'dangerous individual' conversing with a 'criminal mastermind'. Remus almost snorted into his coffee at that. Sirius might be an expert prankster, but her had barely passed any test after first year. Then again, that could be because of all the parties Sirius had hosted at random places.
Amazingly enough, Sirius had been able to con his way into every and any party, no matter what house. Remus didn't understand that one, when he was still be sniped at by former Slytherins. More likely that was because of other things...
Suddenly the werewolf felt someone tugging at his pant leg. Remus looked down again at the black dog that had occupied so much of this thoughts since his escape from the 'impenatrable' Azkaban. Said black monster was glaring at him with a determined expression.
Well, Sirius was a dog, so his expression looked more like he had to pee. However his old-school friend recognized the glint in Sirius's eyes and knew he was in for trouble.
In that instant, the former Professor Lupin staggered under the sufficating weight of fear. Fear he would lose the only friend he had left from Hogwarts. This was a potenially danergous mission whether Sirius choose to believe him or not. Liam Bell worked for the Ministry, more specifically under Moody. That mad had, would and could booby-trap his own house, let alone the houses of his employees. Remus sighed inwardly and stuggled under his new fear. In a moment of clarity, the werewolf realized he didn't want Siri to get hurt. He wouldn't *let* him get hurt when he didn't have to.
'I could...' There was only one way to do this, and Arabella was going to fry his ass.
'Actually, being late is stratigic. Time-oriented spells are ineffective, and if you arrive late enough you can catch the other person with all his cards on the table.' Like the Op-Center was gonna buy that.
'All for you Siri.' Remus thought.
"Fine, dammit. Let's just go home so you can floo over. Kay?" The dog nodded.
Passing muggles stared and one little girl from the table over smiled and asked the dog if he wanted some candy.
Cloth rustling.
"Let's move." Commandingly, errie.
"How do we know this will work?" Muttered, not meant to be heard.
"*Silence*."
Silence. Then, the small 'pop' of several people Aperating.
Liam Bell knocked back another whiskey. They frowned upon alcohal in the Three Broomsticks, but on one was around to begrudge him a little comfort. Alastor would have his head tommorrow, but Liam didn't care about that either. Judging by the way the room was dancing, the man suspected he would willingly give his boss his head. This was going to be one hell of a hangover.
Sirius Black had been occuping his mind. He still didn't understand a thing. Where had Black been staying? What did he want? Liam wondered byt the Death Eater hadn't killed him right away. Why hadn't Laim killed him right away, or at least stunned him for that matter?
More questions kept coming. Why hadn't he told his boss, Alastor Moody. It seemed friends came before anything else, even the evil ones. The Auror knew he still cared about the Death Eater. His best former friend. Letting personal relationships come before his job and his alliences was just asking for a slow and painful death. Plus it was against company policy. It didn't matter who your best friend was. Liam had retained all little of his common sense and made sure Fey was with friends. Thank Merlin he had got something right, he thought to himself when he stummbled home.
It was dark out, after all, so no one could begrudge him a little stumbling, could they?
Fey smiled secretly to herself in the dark of her living room.
Apperently Liam was hiding things from her again. He'd been secretive all week, and her personally arranged to have her away at some friends from work tonight. Thank goodness for sisterhood! They had understood how important keeping her husband in line was and told her he had set up their get-together.
Fey shook her head, amused. The last time Liam had tried to withold information from her, she had been forced to walk in during an Op-Center meeting. He should have told her he was getting into trouble. It would had saved her several hours of detective work and him a load of teasing.
Well, one way or another, she was going to find out what was wrong now.
'-never bored... It's impossible to get bored with them...'
Gestulating to the air, where invisible particles of magic glow. Invisible to most, but not to him. Their bioluminecse is much more comforting that muggle nightlights.
Tom glared at the muggle device in his hand, a radio.
'Destory this.' The magic, which had been helpless and perishing a moment before, glows with a harsh light. Given substance by emotion, the magic raced to obliterate the cheap metal object in his hands.
"Much better." He mutted to himself.
"m-Master?" Tom rolled his skelital eyes. One of his minions.
Tom Riddle slowly dropped his coniousness of magic, along with his fragile hold against himself. He became Voldemort, bane of the wizarding world again.
'This is curious.' Kate thought to herself after she set aside the muggle objects she had 'fixed'. Magical sheilds where in place, they would never harm magic again, and magic wouldn't harm them.
She was floating on a wave of elation. She could still feel the magic floating in the air, all around and through her. Kate had choosen to sit on the floor, lying on the furry red carpet, which was much better than her bed. Besides, it was soaked with magic.
'What is that?' The blonde chaser wondered again. There was a clear cord trailing from herself, where she usually could 'see' another person's magic. Kate couldn't tell much about the dormat magic in the room, but this something new was related to personal magic. Glancing around herself, Kate noticed several more cords, some slightly thinker than others, and every single one had a different texture. Like they were all made of different materials. Kate knew they weren't actually magic, at least not the sort that you could use to cast a spell. They were more like an extention of herself.
Kate shurgged in a non-commital way.
"Why not?" She thought, then choose a cord at random. This one was extremely thin, smaller and less dense than all the rest. But when she examined it, she saw how strong it was.
-Gryffindor Trust- Kate gave a name to the cord in her head. It felt like it was made of blind trust, which Amy and Lauren insisted was a Gryffindor trait.
"Argh... Where am I?" Sirius blinked. He had... voices in his head. And they weren't his, which was a definate change of seanery. Remus had tied him up so he 'didn't get hurt' and left him outside collared to a streetsign. His best friend.
Laim Bell hated him and now he wouldn't even be able to explain. And again with the strange voices in his head.
'Can my day get any worse?' He muttered to the voice, and moved to a slightly different spot on the sidewalk.. He furry behind was falling asleep.
Liam shivered on the street and stared down at his house.
'Time to face the music.' He thought wearily to himself. Still, something didn't seem quite right. Should he go it?
"This is *my* house!" Liam mutted to himself, pushing foolish thoughts away. It was his house, nothing could be wrong.
Kate blinked. She could *hear* someone thinking from her vantage point on the floor of the Gryffindor tower. She was 'inside' somone's head.
'Cool!'
Started.
'What? Impending insanity, do you find pleasure in my misfurtune? I'm a dog for cripes sake, go away!'
'Snuffles?'
'Hey, you're the one in my head, you tell me.'
'Snuffles! Cool I can hear your *thoughts*. I think you're right. I'm inside your head.' Kate thought.
Annoyance flowed into Kate's mind and she knew it wasn't hers. It must be Snuffles emotion.
'What's your real name, Snuffles? Who are you?'
Suspicion.
'Who are you?' Kate shrugged into the red carpet. It had been worth a shot. Too bad Snuffles first reaction was suspicion instead of complinace.
'Kate Bell.' Too bad she didn't have the same suspicion.
'What? Kate, how did you get here?'
'Well, I was trying to do the whole sensing magic thing, and I discovered I could see a whole bunch of cords coming off me. Sort of like they were magic, but anyway I followed one and then I started to hear you talking! So I think those cords were my relationships with people. I think I can even use magic through them, or what's the fun in just being able to hear your thoughts?' Kate grinned sheepishly, even thought she knew Sirius couldn't see it.
'Sorry, I can't help blurting thoughts out when I get exctied.'
Amusement, Kate hoped.
'Well, do you supposed you could use Alohamora?'
'Why?' Kate wondered. 'Please tell me, don't hide everything from me.'
'I'm going to explain to your dad what's going on. He was an important member of the Op-Center, so this is sort of like requitment and... he was my friend.' Kate nodded.
'I think you 'thought' more than you wanted to. I'll try.' Kate pulled out her wand and waved it out of practice.
Professor Flitwick had recently explained you didn't really need to move your wand at all. It was just something to concetrate on.
"Alohamora!" Kate said clearly, and shoved the unlocking magic to Sirius through was she was pretty sure what the link. Through their conversation, Kate had been concentrating on where the emotions that she was sure weren't hers came from.
Then she blacked out.
Liam Bell was pushed against the wall in his coat room by nothing.
"Where is Black? My servant has told me he still lives, and fights for the 'light' side in your Op-Center."
"I...I" Liam nearly choked. The Dark Lord himself said Sirius wasn't a spy for him?
"Why do you lie. Black betrayed us!' Liam threw his accusation with the force of an actual blow. The dark figure laughed, still in indistugishable hooded demon.
"My, my, muggle-lover, we are talkative tonight. No, Black never betrayed you. I love the irony. How your foolish law enforcement sends this innocent man on the run. While your betrayor is regaured as a hero." Liam blinked. Why would the Dark Lord tell him this?
Unless. It was said Voldemort was honest only with one type of person. The dead. Liam started whispering, and he didn't stop even when the power in his house rose to unbearible levels and a floresenct green light shone through his house, illuminating his dead wife.
'I'm sorry Siri, so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?'
Sirius raced towards Liam's house. It was Aparatable, but he didn' want to attract attenion.
'Please let him not be mad. Please let him not be mad...'
Sirius pleaded to the gods. Any deity that would listen. His black from was losing energy fast, but Sirius never slowed down.
'Only one more corner...' The Grim's breath caught when he was the Bell house.
Kate awoke minutes later to have a feeling of numbness travel through her. She blinked. What had she been up to, right after dinner? Her eyes caught sight of the GameBoys and her Cd player and everything returned to her.
She had been connected to Sirius, then she woke up. She must have passed out, but the link had remained working.
Sirius had been going to her house, to see her dad. Could something be wrong? A dark cloud slid over Kate's thougths.
What had made Sirius so... numb? Kate frantically pulled herself through the link. This was different from simply traveling down it. Now she felt like she was being dragged through a straw.
Somehow she found herself next to her one-time dog. And she stared at what he say, the same feeling of blankness containing the horror spreading through her heart, mind and soul.
Through this void, Kate reached out to Snuffles, and curled up around him. Mindlessly they became one person in their grief.
That's how James McCull, who worked the graveyard shift at Gringrotts, found them.
The Dark Mark fading in the morning sky,
The smoking remains of his neighbor's house.
Not a trace of Liam and Fey Bell.
And one small, crumpled blonde girl, covered in soot with her Hogwarts uniform torn humming a tuneless tun and clutching a black dog.
The dog glanced at him, and the goblin was shaken. He eyes were blanker than a muggle doll's.
When James stepped closer, he saw the girl had the same blank look. He she not been rocking back and forth he would have thought her dead.
He panicked and flooed into Dumbledore's office.
Mme. Pompfrey concluded they had suffered a great tragety before she even heard was was wrong. She tehn concluded Kate must have cried herself into shock.
Only one detail didn't match.
Neither Kate nor her dog cried.
Because they couldn't.
The End.
A/n- Well, that was... twitchy, wasn't it? Probably a little too dramatic, but hey, I had fun. Anywho, Wufei was preaching boy scout stuff (glares at Wufei) so I have the Prolouge of my next story written out, thought not typed. Should be typed soon, though. There is one catch, however. I want at least TEN people to review or I'm forgetting the whole damn story. Please? ^^;; I think the next chapter's pretty good. (any ideas on names for it would be wonderful... hint.hint.) About Amedeus, the Hufflepuff (giggles) he's been begging to be written in somewhere. And Blaise is mentioned. In case no one else realized this, Blaise Zambini's gender is never specified. And I must have been feeling mysterious because I didn't give *it* a gender. I'm not sure if I want Blaise to be a guy or a girl, so if you have a preference, tell me!
And another thing:
REVIEW!!!!! I beg of you! I don't want to be the only person whose read my own story!
~Dweia's Double
The Good Life
Disclaimer- I'm lazy. See previous notes. I own only myself (mostly) and the situations I create. If you wanna borrow them, ask. I'm sure the people in my head will let you at them. They're all pretty sick of evil plot bunnies stealing their living space.
A/n- Alright, early warning system here. I know Wufei's gonna start throwing rotten veggies at me soon (as all authors or author-wanna-bes like myeslf have a massive phobia of them). That's why I'm hiding. (Gulps) Well, anyway, I *finally* finished this chapter, which is the end of Meeting Snuffles. Yeah, it's technically not over. You think I'd let Wuffles off that easily (doges rotten tomato). I plan to make this the first of three. (it's a trilogy! ^^;;) Kinda like Star Wars, only without the money. This note is so you realize there is a reason I created the gundam girls and *peter* chang (snickers, Wufei passes out), who you will meet ahead. I'm gunna write the second story (tentitivly called 'Aftermath') from the pov of Kate's family and the 3rd will be from the pov of the girls and peter (laughs again as Wufei's limp body twitches).
MysticSorceror- (sniffles) Someone out there.. really cares! (cries). See that, Wufei, I'm not *as* pathetic as all that! Yeah, Justice boy, explain this! I didn't even pay them or anything! About spacing my chapters better, I actaully have a firm timeline set up from my next story/part. Well, for the first few chapters. I'll try. Thanks for the review, it means allot.
On with the story, and please remember to r/r!
Kate stared in mute horror at the chart on the wall. She shook her head and rubbed the worry lines she could feel forming on her forehead. Her headache was back in full force.
"It's too late to figure this out..." Kate mumbled as she slumped down the hallway to her room. She passed by the four-poster beds without looking at them. She didn't want to know who was in them.
She noted her trunk was pushed against the bed by the window, far away from the other beds near the door. Kate plopped down on the bed without further thought and was fast asleep, headache and all, before her head hit the pillow.
"Raise and shine, sleepy-head!" Called an extremely chipper voice, followed by a series of giggles. Kate's only response, was to grumble mono-sylables into her pillow and roll away from the bright a cheerful intruders. They couldn't be talking to her. And even if they were, Kate thought to herself as she pulled the blankets over her head to avoid the sun streaming through dark red drapes, anyone who was sick enough to be cheerful this early was not someone she wanted to meet.
"Go 'way." She muttered into the pillow. There was sand under her eyelids and cotton shoved all the way through one ear and out the other. It was probably a good thing Kate couldn't see this intruder, or she would be tempted to tumble out of bed and smother her.
"Get up lazy-bones, you've got to tell us what to do!" There was that inpertinant voice again. Kate's brain was waking up in extremely slow stages, so this statement didn't register in her foggy excuse for a brain. Then another gear in the chaser's brain snapped into life and she realized the pounding in her head was a headache.
"You made it to your room. What more do you want?" She grumbled again, her voice doing it's best impression of a frog. There was more giggles from the same invisible voice, but another invivible someone cleared their throat and an invisible 'be careful, it might wake up' glare was thrown.
"Bugger you all. I'm up already. Gah!" Kate's voice tested out several pitches before deciding on her normal tone. Kate realized she was awake now, and her bed was getting uncomfortable, strange as that was. She was going to have to get out of bed soon, and she didn't want any of these giggling people to help her. Opting for the all or nothing approach, Kate flung herself upward with a small grunt, opened her eyes, and began falling back to the bed. Like a long-jumper who suddenly realized she wasn't going to make it, Kate flailed her arms for all she was worth and managed to catch one of the poles holding up her canopy. She promptly slumped against it and closed her eyes. From the brief glimpse she had gotten of her new room-mates, it was as she had suspected.
She'd become a babysitter. That was what the friendly Gryffs referred to it as, anyway. Most of the Gryffindor girls would never admit 'babysitters' existed.
Back a couple hundred years, a Gryffindor head girl had been conversing with another seventh year Ravenclaw (only 7th years were made head boys/girls). The Ravenclaw had been appalled to learn there was no Gryff sex-ed. There was no formal health class at Hogwarts at all. This wasn't really a surprise, considering it was founded in a time period when it was impolite to mention pregnancy. It was called a woman's 'condition' and strictly taboo. Girls had been forced to go on what Mommy told them before they left (nothing) and the bits of truth gleaned from the traditional horror stories told in the girls bathroom. Essentially, it was every girl for herself in puberty.
Rowena Ravenclaw was smarter than her male co-founders in that aspect (and others, but that was an argument Kate didn't want to take up with the Ravenclaws).
After hearing about the system in place in the girl Ravenclaw dorms, the nameless Gryffindor head girl set about using her powers to create a similar system in the Gryff dorms. She used her status as head girl to create several reforms in the girls dorm. Girls were assigned chores (although few were needed, what were house elves for?), which rotated monthly and were posted on the back of the door into the girl's dorm. On of her more revolutionary changes was creating babysitters.
Sitters were seventh year non-prefect girls selected at random to have three to four girls transferred into their dorms. These transfer students where usually second to fourth year girls who hadn't yet experienced the wonders of puberty. Sitters were granted special rights in the dorm and notified of secret passages to help them look after their charges. Sitters had a head start on all the other seventh years.
This would have been great by itself, but this nameless head girl was too Gryffindor for her own good. She told all the other Gryffs just what sort of privileges the sitters had that other seventh years didn't have. Plus, she was known for her harsh discipline. Most reforms she made where tossed out a few years after she left. Sitters where about the only tradition that survived, and they suffered for being her idea. Besides, most Gryff students had bad memories of their old sitter, and refused to be friendly to the type of person who abused their power. Whatever the reason, all Gryffindor babysitters where ignored by their previous friends.
Babysitters were outcasts in their own house. Kate had seen it happen before. She wasn't really a part of the 7th year Gryffindors anymore, no matter what the yearbook would say. And like most other students in Hogwarts, most of Kate's friends were in 7th Year. Now at least Kate knew why she hadn't seen her friends, the other Gryffindor chasers, on the train ride or at the feast. The boys didn't count one way or another, because she would follow her female friends away from her, and even if they didn't, boys weren't the best people to talk to. Not about anything really important.
Kate just wished... she wished Alicia and Angelina could have been bigger than that. .Merlin, now that she knew what it felt like, she wished she could have been bigger than that last year when Jamie Campau was made a babysitter. Then she shrugged it off, smiled and thought sarcastically to herself 'Well, I said I didn't want to grow up...'
"Alright, sound off. Who are you and what have you done to my life?" Kate recognized the girl who had so carefully woken her up, because her daredevil smile grew at Kate's words. She then mock-bowed and said in what Kate guess was her most solemn voice,
"I am called Mia Wiggin. And I have to say, I did nothing to your life. It got crappy on your merit." Mia was a short Asian girl with shoulder length black hair , deep brown eyes that looked to much like the twin's eyes to be comfortable, and a heart-shaped face split by a wide grin. Mia's slanted eyes squinted when she smiled, but Kate could almost feel a cloud of buoyancy surrounding the girl. The girl next to her rolled her eyes at Mia and smiled tolerantly at Kate.
"I'm Stella Finnigan. Sorry about Mia, she's a little crazy in the head." Stella gave Kate her winning smile. She was a short as Mia with strawberry blonde hair to around her shoulders as well, and she had bright gray eyes that sparkled with kindness. She was extremely pale, like most people at Hogwarts, whether they taught or learned. Unlike most adults, however, Stella's face was a mass of freckles, which didn't seem to belong on such a mature girl.
The next student looked over a Kate, shrugged and said nothing. Stella shook her head and sighed. Kate smiled to herself, there was a close friendship in the making. Stella was too sweet to let this girl stay quiet for long.
"That's Bonny. She hasn't told us her last name." Kate raised an eyebrow at Bonny and the American stared back flatly. She also had dark brown eyes, like Mia. However, the feel behind their eyes couldn't be more different. While Mia's eyes could easily look out of the twin's bodies, Bonny's eyes belonged on the man who called himself Snuffles. Kate stared at the girl whose brown hair disappeared from view down her back and wondered what had made her so quiet. She silently asked her if she realized what she was getting into with Stella, but she didn't get to see the answer because the last girl captured Kate's attention.
"Shadrach Maxwell." She stated clearly. Her auburn hair was hacked off at her ears and her hazel eyes were solemn and calm. While Bonny was quiet because she was to shy to talk, Shadrach didn't talk because she didn't have anything she thought was worth wasting breath on. Kate got the impression she always knew what she was doing, and if she didn't she was extremely good at faking it.
"As you may already know, my name is Kate Bell, and" Kate smiled at Mia, "I'm god so far as you are concerned. What year are you, anyway?" Kate asked the question to the air in front of her, knowing who was going to answer and looking forward to it. Mia never backed down from a challenge, it seemed, because she laughed and put her hands together in prayer.
"Oh lord-er-lady-er-*God* this would be my second season at tho holiest school." Kate snickered at Mia's performance and earned disapproving looks from Stella and Shadrach, and a blank one from Bonny. She could get these kiddies, stick-in-the-muds and all.
School started the next day, and life settled into an acceptable pattern. Then again, Kate reflected, it's amazing what becomes acceptable when you can't change it.
...As I was saying, life settled down into a relaxed anticipation of Halloween. The young Gryffindor chaser still avoided the Slytherins with a passion after her run-in with Draco Malfoy. Lucky for her he was in a different year. Kate learned to 'hang out' with younger Gryffindors and made lots of friends with Hufflepuffs. This surprised her, because like the rest of the school she had come to accept that Hufflepuffs were losers. In reality, she learned they didn't care about the image their house projected, and thought for themselves. This commonly led to their ignoring traditions they thought were a waste of time, ignoring Qudditch because they weren't interested because they didn't care if the other teams thought of them and the like. Kate again berated herself for following the sheep-herd at school and missing up on some really great friends.
For the most part Kate helped her 'children' but being the arrogant teenager outcast is a difficult life, and no day was complete until Kate yelled at them about something stupid. She became absorbed in the difficulties of her fate, and her charges were sometimes forced to fend for themselves. This made Kate their leader only in name, she was their blacksheep and sometimes close friend.
Mia, Stella, Bonny and Shadrach became extremely close, a closeness that would make them as famous as the Gryffindor Trio. They, dispite their differences, became quite the team, and Mia swore if they ever got seperated by class schedules, she would threaten Dumbledore himself to get it fixed.
The girls stuck together through everything, but soon academics lost it's challenge (if it ever had any) and they moved on to more interesting puzzles. It didn't matter what type. Acing a test, making friends with the Slytherins, foiling the twin's new prank, transfiguing all the Ravenclaw Qudditch robes to Gryffindor right before the match.
They quickly grew bored of these small things and looked again for more difficult things to defeat. They nearly met their match with Peter Chang.
Peter was a third year Hufflepuff and the black sheep of the badger house. He was out spoken, sexist and bad tempered. Mia determined he was their next target.
Kate tried to stay netural when the topic of the girl's latest 'missions' came up, but most of them were downright hysterical. Oh course, by onspoken agreement Kate never tattled on her charges and they never betrayed her for taking late night walks like most people with things on their mind.
"Alright, Stella, you're our outside woman. Gain his confidence. Bonny, espionase. I want to know what he does, why he does it, when and where, except what goes on in the boys toilet. Shadrach, recon. I want to know what his hobbies are and what he's interested in from all the other Hufflepuffs. I don't know how you do it, but I don't know anyone else that can make people talk as freely as they talk around you. Go get 'em!"
"What are you doing, Mia?"
Smile. "That's easy. I'm your leader. Bring everything you learn to me. We begin this on Halloween day"
Kate was the most excited about the upcoming Halloween, although she thought it below her to explain to her new roommates.
Halloween. Most muggle-borns didn't know it, but Halloween was a time of powerful magic. Power built and magic became even more unpredictable than usual, which why all classes were forced to avoid hands-on projects, because everyone had a tendency to blow things up. Snape, of course, kept up normal classes as usual, causing more trips to the infirmary than he really had to, and punishing Gryffindor and Hufflepuff alike. Hallween was his favorite time of the year. Kate was worried about potions class with the Hufflepuffs, on Halloween day, but Snape saved Madame Pomfrey a hassle (mostly because she threatened him with pink robes) and called a test instead.
Amedeaus Deckson, a seventh year Hufflepuff Kate knew, managed to blow up his test anyway.
Kate teased him about that all the way to the Great Hall and right up to his table. She even took the liberty of sitting through lunch with him, and informing all his classmates about his little escapade. Kate couldn't help laughing at poor Amedeaus. She offered to help him in Muggle Studies next week to make up for it, but Kate knew it wouldn't be the last time she made fun of her friend. Amedeus (or Ami, as she called him) was too much fun to make fun of. The way his face got all red... it gave her a major *evil* rush. Kate shook her head at herself, amusing some of the Hufflepuffs. She shruged and smiled a little.
"Guess I'm too hyper for my own good." They silently agreed, and Kate dove into her lunch. She just knew she could use her 'magic sense' tonight.
"Hey Peter!" Kate looked up from her mashed potatos. She knew that voice.
'Wait... wait. Five, four, three, two....'
"No, get away you Gryffindork!" Whined another voice.
'Yup, it's Mia and the girls' Kate concluded. After all, who sounded that cheerful and made everyone she knew groan in annoyance on sight? Only Mia, and where she went, Shadrach, Stella and Bonny followed. She waved good-naturedly to her charges.
"Hey girls. Who's on the torture list today?" Mia pointed to a small Chinese boy who was trying to hide behind the boy sitting next to him. He looked up at Kate and glared at her. Shaking his head flamboyantly (is *that* a word? Goodness knows...) he spoke to Kate in a mencing tone unbefitting a third year with mashed potatos and peas stuck to his elbow (aquired during his attempted retreat).
"I am Chang Peter, the victim of these onna's injustice." Stella giggled a little and offered her hand to Peter.
"Hey, I'm Stella Finnigan, and I was wondering... does your GameBoy work?" She asked politely. "because I overheard you talking to a fifth year about it. My brother, Seamus, told me it was okay to bring it, but once I got on the train it didn't work." Stella continued to speak to the Chinese boy, and Kate and Mia exchanged a look.
"*Peter*. Good god Mia. What are you trying to pull?" Kate nabed Mia and asked her as the other girls split up to begin their individual missions. Mia shruged and grinned again.
"His housemates asked me to... you know." She tried to explain.
"Get the stick out of his butt?" Kate questioned. Mia nodded.
"They want him to loosen up. And if I was reading their hints right, they want his boxers on the flag pole next Slytherin game." Kate looked intriged and moved away from Peter who was currently complaining about his GameBoy to Stella.
"Why Sltherin?" Mia grin grew even wider, and Kate idlity wondered if it hurt.
"That's the beauty of it. His crush, some fifth year by the name of Blaise, is in Slytherin. The Hufflepuffs are a little tired of him yelling "Injustice" when he gets mad. And the girls are around here are pissed off at getting called weak onnas."
"What's an onna?"Kate asked. Shadrach popped up out of nowhere to answer.
"Woman in Japanese. The way he says it, it's ment to be a cuss word." She added. Kate shook her head in awe.
"That's mean. But, seriously, I pity Blaise. I can help you. Maybe if I fix his GameBoy, he'll warm up to you girls a little." Kate offered.
She figured tonight the magic would be running high, and she could fix her own CD-player. Who knew what what she could do? If she could call on the magic to help her again, anything seemed possible. Shadrach smilpy raised her eyebrow and moved on, stating more clearly than words would have she didn't give a rat's arse. Mia looked highly amused.
"Yeah right. Stella complained about her GameBoy in the common room and one of the other older years, some Hermoine Granger, gave her a mouthful about how 'It says in 'Hogwarts, A Histoy' that there's too much magic concentrated at Hogwarts for muggle stuff to work and how nobody seems to have read the novel'. I don't believe it." Kate shrugged. She was beginning to realize it might not be a good thing to draw attention to her 'talent'. However, she was still determind to help. Peter really needed to losen up, and if they didn't make Peter's attitude worse, they woulcd make him a lot more pleasent to be around.
"Just give me a chance, kay Mia?" Kate begged.
'I think this is just my excuse to fiddle with magic sensing. I think I'm obsessed. Great.' Mia considered, then with a flop, she nodded and pointed towards where Peter was pouting and Stella was trying to get his attention. Bonny looked up from her work and shot an amazed look at Stella. If even Finnigan couldn't pull the boy out of his shell, there really was no hope for him. Kate silently agreed, but she figured it would help once his undies saw sunlight. Well, maybe not, but just imaging the look on his face was making it hard for her to stop giggling. She pulled herself together as lunch was almost over and walked over to the Hufflepuff.
"You said GameBoy, right? S'A muggle toy, right?" Kate asked pleasently. The boy nodded.
"It doesn't work, right?" Chang nodded the affirmitive. Kate smiled to herself and Mia flashed Stella the peace sign behind Kate's back. Mission accomplished.
"I can fix it... if you want." Kate said, voice innoccent. Peter eyed Kate suspiciously.
"Why do you want to help me, onna?" Kate's eye's narrowed.
"I want you to stop calling me onna. I have a name. Or perhaps you fear me...?" Kate made it sound like a question. Let the boy ponder that one. Peter bristled.
"I do not fear you. If you think you can fix my game system, I will not call you onna ever again." Kate smiled. That was enough for her. Not that she really needed anything in return, but what Peter didn't know wouldn't hurt him. After collecting Peter and Stella's GameBoy's and some games at dinner, she headed off to her room. Mia followed her.
"So, when will they be done, god?" Kate shruged. Now how was she going to answer that one?
After her charges left her alone, Kate got down to business.
'How did I do this last time?' Kate questioned in her dorm room. The library was too public, it rained yesterday so Qudditch field was out, and Alicia was sitting in the common room talking with the twins. That left only secret passages and empty classrooms. No fool did actual work in those. Such secret retreats were often shared by half the school and you never knew when an over-eager couple would stumble in near you.
Kate starred down at the assorted gaming material, her CD-player and both CD's she owned, one still in it's plastic. Her Simple Plan CD was open and Kate had removed the cover and changed the page so it showed lyrics. That picture was a little too much for second year girls to see without driving her insane with questions.
With a cover like that, Kate didn' know how she had bought the CD. In fact, she still wasn't really sure what happened after the sales clerk had decended on her, and the rest of her Muggle Studies Class assured her she wasn't the only one. Kate personally believed store clerks had some sort of non-magical ability to ensnare people with their eyes, maybe like a Veela.
'I'm just nervous. I've got to go ahead and do this, or I'll chicken out.'
'Why?' Kate wasn't totally sure why she was scared. It seemed she finally had something 'different' about her, something special was finally hers. She was afraid to discover it had all been a dream. Kate congratulated herself on discovering what was bugging her, but that didn't make it any better. She didn't want to find out this whole sensing magic ability was just a one-shot. Nice try, dream over, move on with your totally unremarkable life. Stealing her nerves, kate repeated something she'd heard Chris say once, which he claimed was from a book.
"Like is a dream from which was must all awaken." And she closed her eyes. Maybe she wasn't going to die, but Kate felt like she was about to wake up and she hoped she saw a world when she opened her eyes.
Not that Chris mentioned anything about the book, or that the people who believed life was a dream also said "May you sleep well and wake..." But that's not really part of the story.
Remus Lupin eyes his canine companion with more that a little distrust in the small muggle cafe.
"Are you sure this is the best idea?" He muttered to the black dog, a friend from his school days. From his gray hairs littering his hair like the first snow, such carefree days that are enjoyed during school years where long behind him, and his companion as well.
It had been almost two years since Sirius's face was aired on the British televison, but muggles seemed to find preverse pleasure in ruining each other's day. Better to be passed over as another crazy talking to his dog that a 'dangerous individual' conversing with a 'criminal mastermind'. Remus almost snorted into his coffee at that. Sirius might be an expert prankster, but her had barely passed any test after first year. Then again, that could be because of all the parties Sirius had hosted at random places.
Amazingly enough, Sirius had been able to con his way into every and any party, no matter what house. Remus didn't understand that one, when he was still be sniped at by former Slytherins. More likely that was because of other things...
Suddenly the werewolf felt someone tugging at his pant leg. Remus looked down again at the black dog that had occupied so much of this thoughts since his escape from the 'impenatrable' Azkaban. Said black monster was glaring at him with a determined expression.
Well, Sirius was a dog, so his expression looked more like he had to pee. However his old-school friend recognized the glint in Sirius's eyes and knew he was in for trouble.
In that instant, the former Professor Lupin staggered under the sufficating weight of fear. Fear he would lose the only friend he had left from Hogwarts. This was a potenially danergous mission whether Sirius choose to believe him or not. Liam Bell worked for the Ministry, more specifically under Moody. That mad had, would and could booby-trap his own house, let alone the houses of his employees. Remus sighed inwardly and stuggled under his new fear. In a moment of clarity, the werewolf realized he didn't want Siri to get hurt. He wouldn't *let* him get hurt when he didn't have to.
'I could...' There was only one way to do this, and Arabella was going to fry his ass.
'Actually, being late is stratigic. Time-oriented spells are ineffective, and if you arrive late enough you can catch the other person with all his cards on the table.' Like the Op-Center was gonna buy that.
'All for you Siri.' Remus thought.
"Fine, dammit. Let's just go home so you can floo over. Kay?" The dog nodded.
Passing muggles stared and one little girl from the table over smiled and asked the dog if he wanted some candy.
Cloth rustling.
"Let's move." Commandingly, errie.
"How do we know this will work?" Muttered, not meant to be heard.
"*Silence*."
Silence. Then, the small 'pop' of several people Aperating.
Liam Bell knocked back another whiskey. They frowned upon alcohal in the Three Broomsticks, but on one was around to begrudge him a little comfort. Alastor would have his head tommorrow, but Liam didn't care about that either. Judging by the way the room was dancing, the man suspected he would willingly give his boss his head. This was going to be one hell of a hangover.
Sirius Black had been occuping his mind. He still didn't understand a thing. Where had Black been staying? What did he want? Liam wondered byt the Death Eater hadn't killed him right away. Why hadn't Laim killed him right away, or at least stunned him for that matter?
More questions kept coming. Why hadn't he told his boss, Alastor Moody. It seemed friends came before anything else, even the evil ones. The Auror knew he still cared about the Death Eater. His best former friend. Letting personal relationships come before his job and his alliences was just asking for a slow and painful death. Plus it was against company policy. It didn't matter who your best friend was. Liam had retained all little of his common sense and made sure Fey was with friends. Thank Merlin he had got something right, he thought to himself when he stummbled home.
It was dark out, after all, so no one could begrudge him a little stumbling, could they?
Fey smiled secretly to herself in the dark of her living room.
Apperently Liam was hiding things from her again. He'd been secretive all week, and her personally arranged to have her away at some friends from work tonight. Thank goodness for sisterhood! They had understood how important keeping her husband in line was and told her he had set up their get-together.
Fey shook her head, amused. The last time Liam had tried to withold information from her, she had been forced to walk in during an Op-Center meeting. He should have told her he was getting into trouble. It would had saved her several hours of detective work and him a load of teasing.
Well, one way or another, she was going to find out what was wrong now.
'-never bored... It's impossible to get bored with them...'
Gestulating to the air, where invisible particles of magic glow. Invisible to most, but not to him. Their bioluminecse is much more comforting that muggle nightlights.
Tom glared at the muggle device in his hand, a radio.
'Destory this.' The magic, which had been helpless and perishing a moment before, glows with a harsh light. Given substance by emotion, the magic raced to obliterate the cheap metal object in his hands.
"Much better." He mutted to himself.
"m-Master?" Tom rolled his skelital eyes. One of his minions.
Tom Riddle slowly dropped his coniousness of magic, along with his fragile hold against himself. He became Voldemort, bane of the wizarding world again.
'This is curious.' Kate thought to herself after she set aside the muggle objects she had 'fixed'. Magical sheilds where in place, they would never harm magic again, and magic wouldn't harm them.
She was floating on a wave of elation. She could still feel the magic floating in the air, all around and through her. Kate had choosen to sit on the floor, lying on the furry red carpet, which was much better than her bed. Besides, it was soaked with magic.
'What is that?' The blonde chaser wondered again. There was a clear cord trailing from herself, where she usually could 'see' another person's magic. Kate couldn't tell much about the dormat magic in the room, but this something new was related to personal magic. Glancing around herself, Kate noticed several more cords, some slightly thinker than others, and every single one had a different texture. Like they were all made of different materials. Kate knew they weren't actually magic, at least not the sort that you could use to cast a spell. They were more like an extention of herself.
Kate shurgged in a non-commital way.
"Why not?" She thought, then choose a cord at random. This one was extremely thin, smaller and less dense than all the rest. But when she examined it, she saw how strong it was.
-Gryffindor Trust- Kate gave a name to the cord in her head. It felt like it was made of blind trust, which Amy and Lauren insisted was a Gryffindor trait.
"Argh... Where am I?" Sirius blinked. He had... voices in his head. And they weren't his, which was a definate change of seanery. Remus had tied him up so he 'didn't get hurt' and left him outside collared to a streetsign. His best friend.
Laim Bell hated him and now he wouldn't even be able to explain. And again with the strange voices in his head.
'Can my day get any worse?' He muttered to the voice, and moved to a slightly different spot on the sidewalk.. He furry behind was falling asleep.
Liam shivered on the street and stared down at his house.
'Time to face the music.' He thought wearily to himself. Still, something didn't seem quite right. Should he go it?
"This is *my* house!" Liam mutted to himself, pushing foolish thoughts away. It was his house, nothing could be wrong.
Kate blinked. She could *hear* someone thinking from her vantage point on the floor of the Gryffindor tower. She was 'inside' somone's head.
'Cool!'
Started.
'What? Impending insanity, do you find pleasure in my misfurtune? I'm a dog for cripes sake, go away!'
'Snuffles?'
'Hey, you're the one in my head, you tell me.'
'Snuffles! Cool I can hear your *thoughts*. I think you're right. I'm inside your head.' Kate thought.
Annoyance flowed into Kate's mind and she knew it wasn't hers. It must be Snuffles emotion.
'What's your real name, Snuffles? Who are you?'
Suspicion.
'Who are you?' Kate shrugged into the red carpet. It had been worth a shot. Too bad Snuffles first reaction was suspicion instead of complinace.
'Kate Bell.' Too bad she didn't have the same suspicion.
'What? Kate, how did you get here?'
'Well, I was trying to do the whole sensing magic thing, and I discovered I could see a whole bunch of cords coming off me. Sort of like they were magic, but anyway I followed one and then I started to hear you talking! So I think those cords were my relationships with people. I think I can even use magic through them, or what's the fun in just being able to hear your thoughts?' Kate grinned sheepishly, even thought she knew Sirius couldn't see it.
'Sorry, I can't help blurting thoughts out when I get exctied.'
Amusement, Kate hoped.
'Well, do you supposed you could use Alohamora?'
'Why?' Kate wondered. 'Please tell me, don't hide everything from me.'
'I'm going to explain to your dad what's going on. He was an important member of the Op-Center, so this is sort of like requitment and... he was my friend.' Kate nodded.
'I think you 'thought' more than you wanted to. I'll try.' Kate pulled out her wand and waved it out of practice.
Professor Flitwick had recently explained you didn't really need to move your wand at all. It was just something to concetrate on.
"Alohamora!" Kate said clearly, and shoved the unlocking magic to Sirius through was she was pretty sure what the link. Through their conversation, Kate had been concentrating on where the emotions that she was sure weren't hers came from.
Then she blacked out.
Liam Bell was pushed against the wall in his coat room by nothing.
"Where is Black? My servant has told me he still lives, and fights for the 'light' side in your Op-Center."
"I...I" Liam nearly choked. The Dark Lord himself said Sirius wasn't a spy for him?
"Why do you lie. Black betrayed us!' Liam threw his accusation with the force of an actual blow. The dark figure laughed, still in indistugishable hooded demon.
"My, my, muggle-lover, we are talkative tonight. No, Black never betrayed you. I love the irony. How your foolish law enforcement sends this innocent man on the run. While your betrayor is regaured as a hero." Liam blinked. Why would the Dark Lord tell him this?
Unless. It was said Voldemort was honest only with one type of person. The dead. Liam started whispering, and he didn't stop even when the power in his house rose to unbearible levels and a floresenct green light shone through his house, illuminating his dead wife.
'I'm sorry Siri, so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?'
Sirius raced towards Liam's house. It was Aparatable, but he didn' want to attract attenion.
'Please let him not be mad. Please let him not be mad...'
Sirius pleaded to the gods. Any deity that would listen. His black from was losing energy fast, but Sirius never slowed down.
'Only one more corner...' The Grim's breath caught when he was the Bell house.
Kate awoke minutes later to have a feeling of numbness travel through her. She blinked. What had she been up to, right after dinner? Her eyes caught sight of the GameBoys and her Cd player and everything returned to her.
She had been connected to Sirius, then she woke up. She must have passed out, but the link had remained working.
Sirius had been going to her house, to see her dad. Could something be wrong? A dark cloud slid over Kate's thougths.
What had made Sirius so... numb? Kate frantically pulled herself through the link. This was different from simply traveling down it. Now she felt like she was being dragged through a straw.
Somehow she found herself next to her one-time dog. And she stared at what he say, the same feeling of blankness containing the horror spreading through her heart, mind and soul.
Through this void, Kate reached out to Snuffles, and curled up around him. Mindlessly they became one person in their grief.
That's how James McCull, who worked the graveyard shift at Gringrotts, found them.
The Dark Mark fading in the morning sky,
The smoking remains of his neighbor's house.
Not a trace of Liam and Fey Bell.
And one small, crumpled blonde girl, covered in soot with her Hogwarts uniform torn humming a tuneless tun and clutching a black dog.
The dog glanced at him, and the goblin was shaken. He eyes were blanker than a muggle doll's.
When James stepped closer, he saw the girl had the same blank look. He she not been rocking back and forth he would have thought her dead.
He panicked and flooed into Dumbledore's office.
Mme. Pompfrey concluded they had suffered a great tragety before she even heard was was wrong. She tehn concluded Kate must have cried herself into shock.
Only one detail didn't match.
Neither Kate nor her dog cried.
Because they couldn't.
The End.
A/n- Well, that was... twitchy, wasn't it? Probably a little too dramatic, but hey, I had fun. Anywho, Wufei was preaching boy scout stuff (glares at Wufei) so I have the Prolouge of my next story written out, thought not typed. Should be typed soon, though. There is one catch, however. I want at least TEN people to review or I'm forgetting the whole damn story. Please? ^^;; I think the next chapter's pretty good. (any ideas on names for it would be wonderful... hint.hint.) About Amedeus, the Hufflepuff (giggles) he's been begging to be written in somewhere. And Blaise is mentioned. In case no one else realized this, Blaise Zambini's gender is never specified. And I must have been feeling mysterious because I didn't give *it* a gender. I'm not sure if I want Blaise to be a guy or a girl, so if you have a preference, tell me!
And another thing:
REVIEW!!!!! I beg of you! I don't want to be the only person whose read my own story!
~Dweia's Double