A/N: Ok folks, this story is going to start drawing to an end, this should be one of the last chapters =(. But, I will be writing a follow-up, so keep your eyes peeled; and yes, I will let all of you faithful reviewers know when the first chapter of the follow-up in on the net. Now, I am not going to say too much about the next story, and rather start typing this one! Please don't forget to review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The weeks following the Valentine's Ball were pretty uneventful for the largest part of the Hogwarts students. Slytherin won Ravenclaw in their Quidditch match, which meant that Gryffindor and Slytherin would be meeting on the pitch in a few weeks time.
However, the Gryffindor Common Room became witness to many a colourful fights between the House's favourite couple. Kat and Sirius were constantly at each other's throats. With Voldemort's order heavy on her mind, Kat became withdrawn and quite the loner, which in turn worked on Sirius's nerves. Some times Kat would cling to him, unwilling to be parted from him, while at others she remained aloof and strangely preoccupied.
As the weeks trickled past, it seemed only to become worse. They would fight over the stupidest things; and often, they would both remain sulky for days on end. Kat would tell no one what was bothering her, and Sirius was starting to wonder why he even put up with it.
And then, Kat would become more like her own self again, which made him fall in love with her all over again; so the vicious circle continued, bringing nothing but hardship to both of them.
To add to the tension, Gryffindor Quidditch practices were not going smoothly. With the added effort needed from the player's side in order to win the toughest match of the season, tempers were running high. James was like a raging bull, pushing his team beyond endurance and throwing temper tantrums when they couldn't keep up. It was a nightmare. Add tons of homework, and it was a disaster.
At least the weather was clear on the morning of the match, with the sky a bright blue and a gentle breeze floating across the Hogwarts grounds. The excitement lay so thick upon the students that one could reach out and touch it.
In the changing rooms the team sat silently listening to James's speech, nodding their heads every now and them as he reminded how important it was to win the game. Even Cassandra Hooch (who usually couldn't shut up when it came to a match) was oddly silent. It was a tough game, with Slytherin and Gryffindor neck on neck. It was largely due to Kat and Cassandra that Gryffindor managed to hold un to its diminutive lead; a fact that gave their Seeker just enough time to snap up the snitch.
The celebration that night was unlike any Gryffindor had seen in years. Yet, two Gryffindors were not enjoying the party. Kat and Sirius were at it again. He had gone as far as to accuse her of having an affair, which she hotly denied.
"So what is with all these mood swings then?" He bellowed as the two of them stood face to face in an empty classroom.
"Are you saying that I am not allowed to feel anything? It's fine for you to slam doors and kick book bags around, but I'm not allowed to sit quietly in the corner when I am irritated?" Kat was in a foul mood. Even Malfoy's face after the match did nothing to lighten her mood. She had received a message from lord Voldemort, demanding to know why she had not yet "seen to" Sirius.
"I never said that, Kat! Don't twist my words around!" He wanted to grab her and shake her, if only to make her tell him what was bothering her.
Something in Kat snapped. She couldn't handle it anymore. "You know what, Sirius?" She said, her voice dropping to a dangerously low tone. "This isn't working. I think we should just get rid of this ridiculous relationship."
"Fine!" He yelled at her, his mind relatively numb from shock. "I never did think that it would work dating a Malfoy lover!"
She slapped him hard. "Watch what you say, Black." The classroom door slammed behind her, leaving Sirius to wonder exactly what had gone wrong.
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The whole school was abuzz with gossip after the break up. Some said that Kat had caught Sirius making out with a nameless Gryffindor girl, while others said that Sirius had unearthed Kat's secret relationship with a Slytherin.
Not even the Marauders were completely sure what exactly had happened, since neither Kat nor Sirius were willing to talk about it. A frosty silence reigned between the two, making conversation in the group awkward and pranks less fun the potions.
Malfoy was grinning from ear to ear while making snide remarks to Kat as he passed her in the hallways or saw her in class. He ended up in the hospital wing twice. Once with limbs swollen the size of melons, and the other time with a poison ivy growing out of his ears and nose.
Easter holidays came and went, and still Kat and Sirius refused to talk to each other. Kat's time was starting to grow short, and she still had not scraped together the guts to proceed with lord Voldemort's order. Despite the fact that she would now as soon attack Sirius as kiss him (which she still wanted to do some times) she still could not imagine…
It was two weeks before the exams when she finally got herself together and started to proceed with the carefully worked-out plan. Firstly, she wrote to Sirius, asking him to meet her up in the Astronomy Tower half an hour past midnight that evening, but asking him not to tell anyone about the meeting. She knew he would not say anything, his sense of "honour" was too strong to go directly against a request from her.
Then, that evening, she carefully arranged her bedding around her pillow while the other girls slept, so that to the casual eye it would appear that she was still sound asleep. She knew it would not help if someone came looking directly for her, but it might help lull suspicion if anyone was to cast a casual glance over her bed.
She made it to the Astronomy Tower slightly late (having had to dodge various teachers and Peeves on several occasions.) and Sirius was already there, waiting impatiently.
He turned around to face her when he heard her footsteps. Her wand came up before he could say anything. She wished her entire body wouldn't shake quite so much.
"Kat…" he began, but cut off abruptly when he she made a jerky move with her wand.
"I would appreciate it if you would keep quiet, Sirius." She whispered, forcing her hand to keep steady. "It would make what I have to do much easier."
"Do what, Kat?" He looked highly puzzled, and quite scared. "Are you ok, do you want to go to the infirmary?"
"No!" She shouted, cursing herself for a fool. Why hadn't she just killed him BEFORE he had a chance to say anything. Her hand trembled once more and she could feel tears starting to run down her cheeks.
"Oh Merlin, Sirius, I can't do this!" She dropped the wand and burst into tears, fear and pain and anger making her as hapless as a child.
Sirius's arms were around her before she even knew what was happening. He kicked her wand away and held her close to him, rocking her slightly backward and forward, murmuring into her hair.
When her tears stopped and she had calmed down, he carefully tilted her chin up so she could look into his eyes. "Now, will you tell me what is going on?"
Despite her best efforts, Kat broke down and told him everything, waiting for him to jump away from her in revulsion. To his credit, Sirius only stiffened his spine when she told him that both her parents were Death Eaters, and that she herself had sworn her life to lord Voldemort. He shook almost as much as Kat did when she told him why she had wanted to meet with him, but he did not let go of her.
"Bloody hell." Was all he could say when she finished her tale, and he hugged her against him, pity for her making him forget that she had been sent to kill him. "We should go to Dumbledore." He said quietly to Kat after a long silence. "He is the most powerful wizard in the world. He'll know what to do."
Kat blinked up at him. "He will?"
Sirius nodded and started leading Kat to Dumbledore's office, pocketing her wand and hoped that the Professor would be in his office.
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Strangely enough, Dumbledore met them even before they came to his office. He let them in(Grass flavoured beans!) and did not seem in the least fazed about seeing two students in his office at one o'clock in the morning.
"So, what can I do for you two?" He asked as he sat down behind his desk, lacing his fingers and glancing at them with that merry twinkle in his eyes.
It took a long time, but Kat finally managed to tell Dumbledore the entire tale, starting from the day she swore herself to Voldemort, and ending with the reason why they were sitting in his office. By the time she was finished, all the portraits in the office were leaning forward to hear what she was saying, and Dumbledore was looking more worried that merry.
"So you no longer wish to be of service to Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked when Kat finished.
She shook her head. "No. It was so different when I was younger. I never knew how… evil he was, and I think that because my parents are such big supporters of him, I could not see the harm in doing it." She dropped her gaze. "But now… I know that he is truly evil, and that we must stop him! He has not yet even started with the evil he is capable off…"
Dumbledore nodded. "Evil is at its most vile when it forces others to do evil. It is good that you know that what he is doing is evil, Katherine, for it means that you yourself still has good in you."
Sitting on the edge of his chair, Sirius spoke up for the first time. "But what can we do, Professor? I mean, Voldemort's not going to be all that happy when he finds out that she didn't… kill me."
"Indeed Sirius, indeed. But I do have a plan." He cast Sirius a small look. "The Order of the Phoenix."
Kat looked puzzled. "Excuse me, Professor, but I do not know how some Order is going to help me?" She seemed on the verge of tears again.
"The Order of the Phoenix is a group of people dedicated to fighting Voldemort, and I do believe that among us, we will be able to work on some plan to keep you safe. Of course, we cannot allow you to go home, and that may cause the most problems, but you must leave it to me!" He was stern yet sympathetic, and both Sirius and Kat found themselves reassured by Dumbledore's words.
When they left the office several minutes later, Kat felt happier than ever before. A fact which was only made better by Sirius's hand holding hers.
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