"Kitty are you in here?"

Kat looked up at her cousin as Hermione walked into her room. "Hello Ony, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Why weren't you in class?" she asked as she joined Kat on the bed. She smiled as she pushed the familiar purple curtains out of the way. The girl loved purple, though Hermione wasn't sure why.

"Papa excused me from class, I haven't been feeling well." She replied as she went and set a letter on her desk, then sat down across from Hermione once more.

Kat watched her cousin carefully, there was something on Ony's mind, she could sense it.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

Hermione looked around the room. "Areyoupregnant?" she asked in one word.

Kat leaned back in shock. "One more time." She asked bewildered.

Hermione took a deep breath, "Are you. well, are you pregnant?"

Kat tried to stop the laughter rising in her chest. But she couldn't and started to giggle. Hermione looked at her in shock then started to giggle as well. Minutes later Hermione was holding her head from laughing so hard, and Kat was holding her stomach.

"I.. can't believe.. you actually. asked... that." Kat got out while trying to catch her breath.

"Neither.. can.. I"

"I needed that, a good laugh that is." Kat said with a smile.

"Kitty, are you.."

Kat shook her head. "No Ony, I am not pregnant."

Hermione took a deep breath, "Merlin do I feel stupid."

"Don't. It's a legitimate question."

"Does that mean you are.." Hermione began unable to finish the question, fighting with the mental image she did not want to see.

"What about you and Harry?" Kat asked pointedly, to distract her poor cousin. She could tell Hermione was trying not to think about her and Draco together.

"Ummm ummmm." Hermione began, trying to think of something to say. but nothing was forthcoming.

Kat smiled as her cousin tried not to blush. "Let's keep our secrets Ony. So how was class?" she continued changing the subject.

Hermione smiled softly. She shook her head before answering. "Class was class. I don't know how you can still have the highest grade in the class, and never be there. But I've seen your tests, so I know that you know everything."

"The same way that I'm the youngest person to ever go to Hogwarts. I'm unique." She replied with a smile.

"I hate your mind." Hermione said with a scowl.

"You've been saying that for as long as I can remember." She replied.

"And you know I never really meant it."

"I know." Kat replied. "So how are things with Harry?"

"Great. I've never been so happy."

Kat smiled. "I'm happy for you."

"What about you and Malfoy?"

"You know that feeling you get, when you're watching the sunset on the first day of spring, when the snow is still on the ground? And the feeling you had when you first found out you were a witch? And the feeling you had when you first saw the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall?"

"Yeah, so." Hermione began, trying to figure out where this was headed.

"Combine them, then multiply by ten. That's what I feel when I'm with Draco. Perfectly content and at peace, like there is nothing in the world that can hurt me."

Hermione watched her cousin as she spoke. She quite literally glowed. "I'm happy for you Kitty. He has changed a bit since the two of you got together, but to be honest I'll probably never understand what you see in him."

"Draco's a complicated person. In a way he's like Harry, he has expectations to live up to. Harry doesn't want to be the 'boy who lived', but everyone thinks that he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and he alone can defeat Voldemort."

"Well of course. Can you blame him, everyone thinks they know everything about him, but they don't even take the time to get to know the real Harry." Hermione began to rant.

Kat just smiled at her cousin as Hermione went on. Hermione looked at her then paused to think about what she had said.

"Oh Merlin, I get it. No one every looked at Draco after hearing he was a Malfoy. We all judged him by his name, before we even took a chance to get to know him. But then again, he has always treated everyone terribly."

"And what does Ron so often say about him?"

"That he is a death eater and works for you know who." She said softly.

"His father raised him to be a death eater, to serve Voldemort. Lucius is a man who no one defies, especially Draco. He learned the hard way that he had to do what his father said. So he did what was expected of him, he treated everyone like he did."

"Then why does he still call us names? Even if they aren't as bad as before."

"That's a part of who Draco is. He teases people, that's just him."

"He said something on the train back, that he still picks on us, because it's what he's always done. He actually asked us if we could picture Hogwarts without him being a pain."

"Could you?"

"No." Hermione replied with a smile.

"I thought as much." They both looked up when they heard tapping on the window.

"Fearchar?" Hermione asked surprised, looking across the room at Kat's owl then back at the owl outside the window. "Kat, does Fearchar have a twin?"

"Only if Hedwig does." She replied as Hedwig joined the owl outside the window.

"Actually, if I'm right, that's Fearchar's mother." She continued as she stood up and opened the window.

The two owls flew into the room, Hedwig going to Hermione and the other going to sit near Fearchar. Hermione opened the letter and gave Hedwig a treat.

Kat smiled as Hermione read her note, and she went over to Fearchar and the other owl. She untied the letter from the owl's leg, as the owl gave her finger a nip.

"Kitty, I have to run. Harry's waiting for me." Hermione said standing up.

"Go. I'll see you in a little bit at dinner."

"Thanks, now don't be late, dinner starts in ten minutes." she replied as she ran out the door.

Kat shook her head. "Hello Mediocris." She said nodding her head at owl who looked like Fearchar's twin, except for Mediocris had green eyes.

Mediocris hooted softly before flying out the window. She and Fearchar watched the older owl fly off into the night.

"Well Fearchar, why don't you go for a stroll. I know you must be tired of being in this room. If I need you I'll call." She said as she ran her hand over Fearchar's back and wings. Fearchar hooted softly, then took off through the window.

Kat turned and unrolled the parchment as she walked towards the fireplace. She looked down at it only paying half attention as she skimmed everything, not really reading any of it, until she reached the sender's signature. Her eyes widened in shock as her equilibrium spun out of control. She reached out to grab something, cringing when she heard the sound of shattering glass as everything went black.