*DISCLAIMER* We don't own any of these characters, but we do own the story.
Happy reading!
Katie shooed the house elf that had come to make up her bed away, drawing the blankets farther up over her head. She was absolutely miserable, and she couldn't be bothered with classes. Not after the weekend she'd had that is. Things had gone from complicated to down right impossible. Now she didn't have to worry about only her family, she was worrying about Marcus as well. The discoloration had been such a stark difference from his skin color. It would be with her for a long time.
And then there were the feelings that had rushed over her when she had seen the bruise. Guilt, horror, anger, sympathy....she had even wanted to care for and protect him. She frowned, why was she feeling that way? Marcus Flint deserved what he got for pulling her into this. But, then again, he had taken a punishment for her. And she just didn't have it in her to completely hate him after seeing that. It made her forget that he was threatening her family and friends; it made her look at him in a completely different light. She pulled the blankets more tightly around herself and frowned moreso, angry with herself for feeling the way she did.
She was starting to look at him to be as much of a victim as she was in this. He could have punished her for that little stunt she pulled when he had asked for information, but he hadn't. Why hadn't he? It made no sense. He was so willing to hurt everyone she cared for and loved, but he hadn't hurt her, he had done no more than make her angry. She was starting to think he enjoyed it too. And when his lips had touched her neck...she shuddered at the memory of it, and not from revulsion, like she had imagined, but from...something else.
Her fingers brushed over the skin his lips had touched, her brow furrowed. Why had he done that? Was he playing with her? Was he trying to make this more complicated for her? If so, he really needn't try too hard, this was already the hardest thing she had ever had to do.
She looked out the window and decided it must be around noon. Her stomach had been growling for the last hour and could no longer be ignored. She put a school robe on and made her way towards the Great Hall. She had missed all her morning classes, but didn't care.
The next thing on her agenda, after she silenced her stomach, was to find out how to get the information that Marcus wanted. She decided first she would talk with Hagrid. The magical creatures professor was fiercely loyal to Dumbledore, and she knew that Dumbledore trusted Hagrid with various secrets. Luckily she had his class after lunch and she'd figure out how to weasel information out of him. Not just for her family anymore, but for Marcus.
As much of a jerk he could be, and he really really could be, she felt responsible for those ugly marks on his chest. If he was going to be punished again, she'd make sure it wasn't for something she did or didn't do.
She finished up her lunch quickly, not even talking to anyone, and made her way down towards Hagrid's hut before class started.
"Good afternoon, Hagrid," she said brightly. She felt anything but bright and bubbly, but figured she should act normal.
"Mornin', Katie! Ready for class today, then?" Hagrid towered over her and she could only assume he was smiling because she could see his mouth through the mass of facial hair.
"Of course, Hagrid! I'm really going to miss this class after I've left Hogwarts," she lied. Care of Magical Creatures terrified her. She just knew that one day Hagrid would make them would with Flesh-Eating something or others and then they'd all be done for.
"Aw, that's sweet o' ya, Katie. What d'ya plan to do once you graduate?"
"I was thinking of taking more school to become an Auror someday. Do you think I could work with Dumbledore if I became an Auror? That'd be an honor, wouldn't it?"
"Oh, there's no finer man to work for than Dumbledore!" Hagrid boomed, his chest puffed up with pride. Katie nodded eagerly.
"But," she started, deciding to word her question artfully, "I think I would want to work for someone who was more involved in the fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Dumbledore doesn't seem to do much, does he? He just frightens You-Know-Who."
"Doesn't do much?!" Hagrid thundered, Katie almost had to cover her ears. "I'll have you know, Miss Bell, that Dumbledore is constantly coming and going from places trying to keep those Death Eaters from stirring up too much trouble!"
"Really, Hagrid? I didn't realize." Katie pretended to looked surprised. Hadrid nodded violently.
"He finds out when there's going to be an attack and tries to get out as many people as possible and tries to find safe places for people who're being targeted by Death Eaters," Hagrid was on a roll now. Katie had pushed just the right buttons for him to go on and on like this.
"Hagrid, how does he know when the Death Eaters will attack?" She asked innocently.
"He's got himself a spy who keeps him informed," Hagrid explained.
"A spy?" Katie mocked suprise. "Who? Isn't that dangerous?"
"Ah, well I can't tell ya that, Katie, because it is very dangerous."
Damn, so he wasn't an endless well of information, Katie thought bitterly. "Oh, good thinking Hagrid," she lied. "I don't know what I was thinking even asking."
"Not that I don't trust ya, Katie," Hagrid explained.
"Oh, no of course not," Katie murmured, wondering who the spy could be. It could be anyone, really. She'd run it by Marcus and maybe he could make use of the information.
"I'm not feeling too well today, Hagrid," Katie lied again, it was getting easier each time. "I think I'll go to Madam Pomfrey's." She didn't wait for an answer, but turned and made her way back to the castle. Maybe she'd be able to find out some more information about Dumbledore's spy.
Katie shooed the house elf that had come to make up her bed away, drawing the blankets farther up over her head. She was absolutely miserable, and she couldn't be bothered with classes. Not after the weekend she'd had that is. Things had gone from complicated to down right impossible. Now she didn't have to worry about only her family, she was worrying about Marcus as well. The discoloration had been such a stark difference from his skin color. It would be with her for a long time.
And then there were the feelings that had rushed over her when she had seen the bruise. Guilt, horror, anger, sympathy....she had even wanted to care for and protect him. She frowned, why was she feeling that way? Marcus Flint deserved what he got for pulling her into this. But, then again, he had taken a punishment for her. And she just didn't have it in her to completely hate him after seeing that. It made her forget that he was threatening her family and friends; it made her look at him in a completely different light. She pulled the blankets more tightly around herself and frowned moreso, angry with herself for feeling the way she did.
She was starting to look at him to be as much of a victim as she was in this. He could have punished her for that little stunt she pulled when he had asked for information, but he hadn't. Why hadn't he? It made no sense. He was so willing to hurt everyone she cared for and loved, but he hadn't hurt her, he had done no more than make her angry. She was starting to think he enjoyed it too. And when his lips had touched her neck...she shuddered at the memory of it, and not from revulsion, like she had imagined, but from...something else.
Her fingers brushed over the skin his lips had touched, her brow furrowed. Why had he done that? Was he playing with her? Was he trying to make this more complicated for her? If so, he really needn't try too hard, this was already the hardest thing she had ever had to do.
She looked out the window and decided it must be around noon. Her stomach had been growling for the last hour and could no longer be ignored. She put a school robe on and made her way towards the Great Hall. She had missed all her morning classes, but didn't care.
The next thing on her agenda, after she silenced her stomach, was to find out how to get the information that Marcus wanted. She decided first she would talk with Hagrid. The magical creatures professor was fiercely loyal to Dumbledore, and she knew that Dumbledore trusted Hagrid with various secrets. Luckily she had his class after lunch and she'd figure out how to weasel information out of him. Not just for her family anymore, but for Marcus.
As much of a jerk he could be, and he really really could be, she felt responsible for those ugly marks on his chest. If he was going to be punished again, she'd make sure it wasn't for something she did or didn't do.
She finished up her lunch quickly, not even talking to anyone, and made her way down towards Hagrid's hut before class started.
"Good afternoon, Hagrid," she said brightly. She felt anything but bright and bubbly, but figured she should act normal.
"Mornin', Katie! Ready for class today, then?" Hagrid towered over her and she could only assume he was smiling because she could see his mouth through the mass of facial hair.
"Of course, Hagrid! I'm really going to miss this class after I've left Hogwarts," she lied. Care of Magical Creatures terrified her. She just knew that one day Hagrid would make them would with Flesh-Eating something or others and then they'd all be done for.
"Aw, that's sweet o' ya, Katie. What d'ya plan to do once you graduate?"
"I was thinking of taking more school to become an Auror someday. Do you think I could work with Dumbledore if I became an Auror? That'd be an honor, wouldn't it?"
"Oh, there's no finer man to work for than Dumbledore!" Hagrid boomed, his chest puffed up with pride. Katie nodded eagerly.
"But," she started, deciding to word her question artfully, "I think I would want to work for someone who was more involved in the fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Dumbledore doesn't seem to do much, does he? He just frightens You-Know-Who."
"Doesn't do much?!" Hagrid thundered, Katie almost had to cover her ears. "I'll have you know, Miss Bell, that Dumbledore is constantly coming and going from places trying to keep those Death Eaters from stirring up too much trouble!"
"Really, Hagrid? I didn't realize." Katie pretended to looked surprised. Hadrid nodded violently.
"He finds out when there's going to be an attack and tries to get out as many people as possible and tries to find safe places for people who're being targeted by Death Eaters," Hagrid was on a roll now. Katie had pushed just the right buttons for him to go on and on like this.
"Hagrid, how does he know when the Death Eaters will attack?" She asked innocently.
"He's got himself a spy who keeps him informed," Hagrid explained.
"A spy?" Katie mocked suprise. "Who? Isn't that dangerous?"
"Ah, well I can't tell ya that, Katie, because it is very dangerous."
Damn, so he wasn't an endless well of information, Katie thought bitterly. "Oh, good thinking Hagrid," she lied. "I don't know what I was thinking even asking."
"Not that I don't trust ya, Katie," Hagrid explained.
"Oh, no of course not," Katie murmured, wondering who the spy could be. It could be anyone, really. She'd run it by Marcus and maybe he could make use of the information.
"I'm not feeling too well today, Hagrid," Katie lied again, it was getting easier each time. "I think I'll go to Madam Pomfrey's." She didn't wait for an answer, but turned and made her way back to the castle. Maybe she'd be able to find out some more information about Dumbledore's spy.