TEOTIHUACAN

CHAPTER SEVEN-THE END?

I screamed. Bits of the tower fell apart and it all toppled down like a pancake.

"KATIE!" Ron shouted/wailed.

I covered my mouth with both hands and felt my whole body shaking violently. I couldn't believe what we just saw.

"KATIE!" Ron yelled again.

Harry looked just as sick and wrapped his arm around Ron comfortingly.

Just then, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall appeared at the entrance to the Great Hall. They were looking grim.

"I'm sorry to say that Gryffindor tower is gone…and so is Katie O'Malley," Professor Dumbledore said, quietly.

Everyone was solemn…except, not much to our surprise, the Slytherin's were calm.

"The Gryffindor's will be staying with the Hufflepuff's for now until Gryffindor Tower is rebuilt,"

The Hufflepuff's were kind and gladly shared their rooms with the Gryffindor's.

I didn't get much sleep that night. I kept seeing the tower collapsing.

I couldn't believe that Katie was gone too. She basically saved us. I began sobbing softly into my pillow.

The next morning at breakfast, everyone was still quiet and more than likely still in shock over the tower collapsing. Everyone, except the Slytherin's was eating quietly. They were eating like it was going out of style. They didn't seem to care that we lost our guest.

Just then, Professor Dumbledore stood up and faced us.

"I want to know if anyone knows how the fire started in Gryffindor Tower," he said, slowly as he looked around at everyone in the Hall.

No one replied.

We all knew Malfoy was behind it, but there was no way he was going to incriminate himself.

"That'll be the day Malfoy confesses to anything like that," Ron muttered bitterly.

I could see he had really liked Katie and was extremely angry and bitter toward Malfoy…even more than usual.

"I know…what's going to happen now?" I asked, pushing my egg around on the plate.

"I dunno," Harry replied quietly. "But knowing Malfoy, he'll never come clean."

"What a prat! I can't believe he'd go as far as setting a fire," Ron growled.

"I know…neither can I," I admitted.

Just then, as I glanced up toward the entranceway, I spied Katie.

"There's Katie," I whispered, nudging Harry.

But as soon as I blinked, she was gone.

"Don't toy with me, Hermione…it isn't funny," Ron snapped.

"I'm not toying with you…she was just there," I said.

"Just leave me alone, Hermione," Ron snapped as he stormed out of the Great Hall.

Harry turned to me.

"Don't worry. He didn't mean it," Harry said, reassuringly.

"I know…but I really did see Katie," I said.

Harry put his arm around me and we too, headed out of the Great Hall.

We headed to Potions. It was the first class of the day. Most of the Gryffindor's hearts were not in it.

They were quiet and subdued and half-heartedly added the ingredients to their potions.

The Slytherin's were upbeat though.

Just then, I looked up and Katie was standing by Malfoy. I nudged Harry and he looked up as well. I heard him gasp and knew he could see her too. Harry then nudged Ron. Ron looked up as well and I heard him gasp.

All three of us could clearly see Katie standing by Malfoy now.

"What is she doing?" Harry whispered to me.

"I don't know," I whispered back and kept my eyes on her the entire time.

She reached over and grabbed Malfoy's arm.

He yelped and yanked his arm out of her grip.

"Mr. Malfoy…is there a problem?" Professor Snape asked.

"Something cold just grabbed my arm," Malfoy said, eyeing the spot where Katie was standing.

"I don't think he can see her!" I said, alarmed.

"What?" Harry asked, startled.

"I don't think Malfoy can see her!" I whispered back.

Then, Professor Snape voiced what I believed.

"There's nothing there, Mr. Malfoy,"

Malfoy rubbed his arm irritably and went back to his potion.

I could see the smirk on Katie's face as she then reached across the desk and grabbed the cauldron that Crabbe and Goyle were sharing. She then turned it over so the potion spilled out all over the place and splashed Crabbe and Goyle.

We were working on the Nagbart Potion, which produces fur with skin contact. Sure enough, Crabbe and Goyle had brown fur sprouting on their face and arms.

"Crabbe! Goyle! What did you do?" Professor Snape demanded coming over to them.

"I don't know! It just flipped over by itself!" Crabbe said, shocked as he frantically tried to hide his face with his arms, but the arms were fur covered as well.

Laughter rang out from the Gryffindor's side. Even Harry, Ron and I were giggling.

"That's impossible!" Professor Snape snapped. "You are just bumbling idiots."

Professor Snape grabbed Crabbe and Goyle and led them out of the dungeon. Malfoy turned to us.

"You three did it somehow!" he snarled.

"Right….and how would we do that?" Ron snapped.

"I don't know but I know you three were behind it!" Malfoy rasped.

"Yeah right," Harry shot back.

"You are sadly mistaken!" I growled.

Malfoy just glared at us.

Professor Snape came back into the room.

"Professor! Potter did this to Crabbe and Goyle!" Malfoy said.

"And how would they do that? I saw them. They were sitting across the dungeon the whole time," Professor Snape said frowning.

Harry, Ron and I looked at each other. This was the first time Snape stuck up for us. What was going on?

Even Malfoy seemed stunned.

"Crabbe and Goyle did it themselves," Professor Snape said.

"Five points from Slytherin,"

Once again, Harry, Ron and I looked at each other. We couldn't believe what was happening!

I looked back over at Malfoy, but Katie had disappeared.

"What are you looking at, Mudblood?" Malfoy snarled.

He was annoyed that his own teacher took points from the house and probably the fact that Snape stood up for us.

Katie appeared again beside Malfoy and she smacked him upside the back of his head before disappearing.

"Hey!" Malfoy cried, turning around in his seat and glaring at a Slytherin girl sitting directly behind him in her seat. She looked surprised.

"Why'd you hit me?" Malfoy demanded.

"I didn't hit you," the girl said, slowly.

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't,"

"Yes you did!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Mr. Malfoy! Miss Harris! ENOUGH. Mr. Malfoy, please leave," Professor Snape said angrily.

Malfoy angrily got to his feet and stormed out of the dungeon.

We kept our eyes on our potions and finished them in record time.

We then headed to Transfiguration.

After that, we didn't see Katie for a while. I didn't understand it nor did Ron or Harry.

That night at dinner, we ate in silence. The Hufflepuff's were kind to us and showed us the way to their tower and common room, but it wasn't the same as having our own tower and common room.

Professor Dumbledore stood up and addressed the Great Hall.

It quieted down like a huge wave rolling over the Hall.

"We still have no idea how the fire got started in Gryffindor Tower," Professor Dumbledore said. "If anyone has any idea on how it started, we urge you to please come forward."

There was silence in the Hall that anyone could hear a pin drop.

"I assure you, if it was done by accident, the individual will not be punished," Dumbledore continued.

Harry and I glanced over at the Slytherin table. They were talking amongst themselves.

Probably discussing who's going to admit it, but we knew damm well they weren't going to admit it, even if had been an accident…which it wasn't.

Again, no one stood up.

Professor Dumbledore was starting to grow anxious.

"We really need to know what happened," he said, slowly. "And I'm sure Katie's family would want to know if their daughter died in an accident…or if it was done on purpose."

Dumbledore's last few words sparked murmurs to go around the Hall. I realized that everyone had probably figured out that the fire was a mistake and an accident. I doubted they believed that the fire could be and was set on purpose.

Malfoy wasn't even breaking a sweat at those words.

"Professor Dumbledore? Do you honestly think that the fire was set on purpose?" a Ravenclaw called.

"We don't know, but we're not ruling anything out," Professor Dumbledore said, gravely.

Just then, Katie appeared behind Malfoy.

I nudged Harry and Ron.

"There she is!" I whispered.

Immediately, Harry and Ron were attentive and we watched Katie.

We saw her reach into Malfoy's robe and pull out his wand. The wand probably seemed to be floating in midair to the rest of the Hall.

"Mr. Malfoy, why is your wand floating in the air by itself?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I don't know!" Malfoy cried as he stood up and tried to grab it, but Katie held it higher out of his reach.

We saw her mouth move, but we couldn't hear what she was saying. I was able to read lips a little bit and it looked like she said, "Prior Incantatum,"

A red jet of light shot out from the end of Malfoy's wand and hit the wall.

There was a bright flash of red before it vanished.

"That's the Fireductus Charm!" Professor Flitwick said.

Now, Malfoy was starting to look pale.

He kept frantically trying to grab his wand, but Katie held it higher and higher out of his reach.

"Mr. Malfoy, I don't know how the Prior Incantatum spell was spoken, since no one heard you, but that's the only way that the Fireductus curse would've come out of your wand like that. Did you use the Fire charm at all?" Professor Dumbledore said, slowly.

"NO!" Malfoy shouted.

Then, we watched as Katie put her hand on Malfoy's shoulder. She closed her eyes. Then, she walked toward Malfoy as if she stepped inside him.

Malfoy's expression changed. Then he spoke as if he was reading the words off of a cue card.

"Yes. I did use the Fire charm. I was the one who set the fire in Gryffindor Tower," he said in a monotone. His voice was flat as if he was robotic.

There were startled gasps that went around the Hall.

"You? Why?" Professor Dumbledore asked, alarmed.

"Because Potter, Granger and Weasley got me into trouble," Malfoy continued in the same tone. "I wanted to get back at them. I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."

"It's a little late for that, Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said, sternly. "We've got to tell Katie O'Malley's family that she was killed because you were a baby and couldn't face the fact that you were in trouble."

Malfoy just stood there, unemotional.

"You will be suspended," Professor Dumbledore said. "Your father will be contacted."

Then, Malfoy's head was lowered and Katie stepped back out of him. Malfoy jumped and looked around at everyone in the Hall.

"What?" he asked, in his normal tone.

Everyone was looking at him in disgust, even those in his own house.

"Please come with me," Professor Snape said.

"What? Why?" Malfoy demanded.

"Just come with me. No questions. You're being sent home,"

Mumbling under his breath, Malfoy followed Snape out of the Great Hall.

Ron, Harry and I exchanged looks of surprise and naturally, we couldn't help…relief and glee.

Finally, Malfoy was being punished for something he did and he can't say that he didn't do it because he confessed it himself…well, Katie made him confess it.

Still, it was sweet.

Katie walked over to us. It was if she was gliding on air. She stopped in front of us. We looked up at her. She was transparent and there was a soft glow about her.

"Hi," Ron said, swallowing.

Katie looked at him and grinned.

"We miss you," I said, softly.

Katie turned her eyes onto me and put her hand across my forehead as if she was feeling for my temperature. I felt a rush of emotions, then I heard her speaking in my head.

"Tell them that I miss them too and that I love Ron,"

"Katie misses you guys and she loves you, Ron," I relayed to him in my normal voice.

Ron's eyes moved from me to Katie.

"I wish you were here," Ron said, quietly.

"Tell him that I know and that I'm always with him,"

"She says that she knows and that she's always with you,"

Ron had a glimmer of tears in his eyes.

"That was great how you made Malfoy incriminate himself," Harry said.

"I did it because I knew he would never confess and he needed to be found guilty. If he got away with that, what else would he get away with? Murder? Probably. I had to take a step up and force him to confess,"

"She did it because she knew Malfoy would never confess and he needed to be found guilty. If he got away with that, what else would he get away with? Murder? Probably. She had to take a step up and force him to confess,"

"Yeah, but with Malfoy's dad so high up in the ranking, I'm sure Malfoy will get off just as easily," Ron muttered.

"I don't think so. I think this time because Malfoy confessed with his own mouth, there's no way that his father can get him off that easily,"

"She doesn't think so. This time Malfoy confessed with his own mouth, there's no way that Lucius can get him off that easily," I said.

"We hope so," Harry said, quietly.

"Don't worry. Things will be okay,"

"She says not to worry. Things will be okay,"

"Good-bye my good friends,"

Katie grinned and then she closed her eyes and vanished, disappearing into little orbs before vanishing completely.

"She said good-bye," I said, softly as I felt a chill running down my spine.

"I'm going to miss her," Ron said.

Harry put his arm around Ron and gave him a squeeze.

"I know…we all miss her," I said, gently.

It was finally over. For good.

EPILOGUE.

Malfoy was suspended from school for 2 weeks, plus Lucius was informed and there was talk about Malfoy possibly having to go before the Ministry to explain in full detail the reason why he set fire to Gryffindor Tower and why Katie was killed.

Gryffindor Tower was finally rebuilt, but there was a strange sensation each time we entered it…it felt like there was a guardian angel watching over us.

"If I could turn back time…if I could find a way…I'd take back all the words that'll hurt you and you'd stay…

I don't know why I did things I did, I don't know why I said the things I said.

Crawls like a knife that can crawl deep inside, words are like werephones that wound sometimes.

I really didn't mean to hurt you…I didn't want to see you go, I know I made you cry…

"If I could turn back time, if I could find a way, I'd take back all the words that'll hurt you and you'd stay…if I could reach the starts, I'd give them all to you, then you'd love me, love me like you used to do."

-------Cher-The Best of Cher CD.