Once in the Gryffindor common room, Nikole sat on the couch in front of the
fire.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, sitting down next to her. "That was a bit off in there and you looked like you could use a friend or two." She placed a friendly arm on her shoulder.
"I'm okay, considering the fact that I have no idea who I really am...if Lady Kathryn is who I really am. But it just doesn't make any to sense to me. They call me something I'm not and I would usually just shrug it off, but I cant."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm in a completely different world compared to my own...I'm used to living in a half-muggle and half-magic but now I'm in a full-magic world. Now I don't understand every single thing that comes up." Nikole looked straight into the fire.
Hermione sighed lightly. "It's alright, Nikole. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. You are Nikole and maybe they were just thinking of another girl that may or may not look like you."
Nikole looked up at her. "Thanks, Hermione. I appreciate it." She stood and sighed, rubbing her shoulders. "Don't worry about me, I'll be okay. I've fought off vampires and killed demons so finding out who I really am shouldn't be much of a difference." She cleared her throat and looked at Hermione hard. "Do you know who Lady Kathryn is?"
Hermione looked away.
"Oh my god, you do." Nikole sat back down. "Tell me."
"I'm not sure I should," Hermione hesitated.
Nikole continued her hard stare. "Hermione. If you know something about Lady Kathryn I need for you to tell me. Please. I could finally feel like I belong if you do."
"Alright," Hermione gave in. "I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to wig out, promise?"
"Promise."
"Well, when Lady Kathryn was a young girl, about six or seven, her father had resigned from his teaching job at Hogwarts and her mother did the same. Legend has it, that they resigned because of an evil plot that included the death of their daughter, Lady Kathryn. Them being parents, they did what they thought was right for her.
"After they had resigned, they left Hogwarts and also a note. The note said that Lady Kathryn would return and she would return with a destiny and an unknown past that she would never remember; and it would be up to the headmaster to revive her memory. It also said that her heart would be pure in sight and her thoughts would be piercing. Her eyes would be a bright brown and her hair nothing but wavy locks around her face.
"They had not left England, but just Hogwarts and ran away to London in hopes and prospects to live in peace. But they were dead wrong. The evil plot's participator found them and killed them immediately. The child, Lady Kathryn, lived." Hermione paused and looked at Nikole.
"How did she live?" Nikole asked, twiddling her thumbs.
"Well, she was at her aunt's house during the killing, and was safely held until it came for the aunt." Hermione paused again and looked apologetically at Nikole. "Sorry, but that's all I know. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I'm sure I'll find out the rest from someone else."
"That's the thing, Nikole. That's all anyone knows. No one knows the end..." Her voice trailed off, but she kept her steady gaze at Nikole.
"What about the headmaster?"
"He knows the same as we students. And that only."
"But you said that the headmaster would revive her memory of it all," Nikole objected.
"The headmaster that was meant to do so, died after her parents did." Hermione looked away and quickly added, "You should just leave any legend alone, Nikki. It's for your own good...not to mention all the other students her at Hogwarts that refuse to die from this evil thing."
"So, you're saying that this 'thing' is still alive?"
"Most likely, but you shouldn't worry, Nikole. As long as Dumbledore is here, we are all safe." Hermione was now twiddling her thumbs.
Nikole didn't answer. She didn't want to answer. She had to face it: she asked and she got an answer, an answer she didn't want but got anyway. It hurt her. It ate her. It killed her...all of this came from one innocent answer by a friend. She wanted everything to be right again, when she didn't know about this Lady Kathryn and when she was happy and saved the world from evilness's grasps.
Everything that had held her up in life now faded and she felt like death itself. She hated the feeling: knowing that she didn't know her real past...if it did exist.
"Nikole?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah?"
"You're crying." Hermione handed her a tissue.
Nikole dabbed at her eyes and replied, "Thanks." Handing her a tissue didn't help her feel better, just the same. Her crying didn't stop. Her pain didn't cease. Her life didn't end. Her eyes didn't dry. Her fear hidden deep in the depths of her soul's crevices and trenches arose and struck her heart with such intensity that she almost jerked away from life itself. She didn't like it. She hated it. "I'm heading for bed." And upstairs she walked so she could cry herself to sleep.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, sitting down next to her. "That was a bit off in there and you looked like you could use a friend or two." She placed a friendly arm on her shoulder.
"I'm okay, considering the fact that I have no idea who I really am...if Lady Kathryn is who I really am. But it just doesn't make any to sense to me. They call me something I'm not and I would usually just shrug it off, but I cant."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm in a completely different world compared to my own...I'm used to living in a half-muggle and half-magic but now I'm in a full-magic world. Now I don't understand every single thing that comes up." Nikole looked straight into the fire.
Hermione sighed lightly. "It's alright, Nikole. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. You are Nikole and maybe they were just thinking of another girl that may or may not look like you."
Nikole looked up at her. "Thanks, Hermione. I appreciate it." She stood and sighed, rubbing her shoulders. "Don't worry about me, I'll be okay. I've fought off vampires and killed demons so finding out who I really am shouldn't be much of a difference." She cleared her throat and looked at Hermione hard. "Do you know who Lady Kathryn is?"
Hermione looked away.
"Oh my god, you do." Nikole sat back down. "Tell me."
"I'm not sure I should," Hermione hesitated.
Nikole continued her hard stare. "Hermione. If you know something about Lady Kathryn I need for you to tell me. Please. I could finally feel like I belong if you do."
"Alright," Hermione gave in. "I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to wig out, promise?"
"Promise."
"Well, when Lady Kathryn was a young girl, about six or seven, her father had resigned from his teaching job at Hogwarts and her mother did the same. Legend has it, that they resigned because of an evil plot that included the death of their daughter, Lady Kathryn. Them being parents, they did what they thought was right for her.
"After they had resigned, they left Hogwarts and also a note. The note said that Lady Kathryn would return and she would return with a destiny and an unknown past that she would never remember; and it would be up to the headmaster to revive her memory. It also said that her heart would be pure in sight and her thoughts would be piercing. Her eyes would be a bright brown and her hair nothing but wavy locks around her face.
"They had not left England, but just Hogwarts and ran away to London in hopes and prospects to live in peace. But they were dead wrong. The evil plot's participator found them and killed them immediately. The child, Lady Kathryn, lived." Hermione paused and looked at Nikole.
"How did she live?" Nikole asked, twiddling her thumbs.
"Well, she was at her aunt's house during the killing, and was safely held until it came for the aunt." Hermione paused again and looked apologetically at Nikole. "Sorry, but that's all I know. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I'm sure I'll find out the rest from someone else."
"That's the thing, Nikole. That's all anyone knows. No one knows the end..." Her voice trailed off, but she kept her steady gaze at Nikole.
"What about the headmaster?"
"He knows the same as we students. And that only."
"But you said that the headmaster would revive her memory of it all," Nikole objected.
"The headmaster that was meant to do so, died after her parents did." Hermione looked away and quickly added, "You should just leave any legend alone, Nikki. It's for your own good...not to mention all the other students her at Hogwarts that refuse to die from this evil thing."
"So, you're saying that this 'thing' is still alive?"
"Most likely, but you shouldn't worry, Nikole. As long as Dumbledore is here, we are all safe." Hermione was now twiddling her thumbs.
Nikole didn't answer. She didn't want to answer. She had to face it: she asked and she got an answer, an answer she didn't want but got anyway. It hurt her. It ate her. It killed her...all of this came from one innocent answer by a friend. She wanted everything to be right again, when she didn't know about this Lady Kathryn and when she was happy and saved the world from evilness's grasps.
Everything that had held her up in life now faded and she felt like death itself. She hated the feeling: knowing that she didn't know her real past...if it did exist.
"Nikole?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah?"
"You're crying." Hermione handed her a tissue.
Nikole dabbed at her eyes and replied, "Thanks." Handing her a tissue didn't help her feel better, just the same. Her crying didn't stop. Her pain didn't cease. Her life didn't end. Her eyes didn't dry. Her fear hidden deep in the depths of her soul's crevices and trenches arose and struck her heart with such intensity that she almost jerked away from life itself. She didn't like it. She hated it. "I'm heading for bed." And upstairs she walked so she could cry herself to sleep.