Disclaimer: Alas me no owns Harry Potter. Me wished me owns but me doesn't…Oh well…
Chapter 5 – First step
Katherine woke up at the Hospital wing…again. She knew for a fact she had left it during the night but now she was back. And she couldn't remember why or how. She got up but quickly sat down again as she felt dizzy. She looked around and saw she was alone. Suddenly Madam Pomfrey appeared coming from her office.
"Ah, Miss Black. I see you have awaken. How are you feeling?" she asked sweetly.
"I'm a little dizzy." Katherine explained in a low voice.
"That would be because of the medicine I gave you. You were a mess when Mr. Lupin brought you back here." The school nurse said, her face filled with concern.
"Rosh brought me back?" Katherine asked frowning.
"Don't you remember? He took you out, without my permission I might add, and later returned with you fainted and with a very high fever." Madam Pomfrey explained.
Katherine lay down again and stared at the ceiling while trying to remember what had happened. After a while she gave up as nothing came to her. When she rose again Madam Pomfrey – who had left her alone with her thoughts – returned to her side.
"When can I leave? I have classes soon." Katherine asked.
"Well your fever is gone. When your dizziness passes you can go. Just make sure to be more careful next time."
Katherine nodded and watched as the old nurse returned to her office. Katherine tried to get up again and noticed her dizziness wasn't so powerful this time. She walked a bit and figured she was ready to go. She grabbed her shoes and her robe and left the Hospital Wing. She made her way to the Great Hall to grab a bite and found Jade on the way.
"Hey there Jade." Katherine said calmly. She was walking slowly but caught up with her friend easily.
"Hey. Where did you spend the night?" Jade asked with a worried tone. Katherine raised her eyebrow.
"What's with the straight question?"
"Nothing. Just wondering really. I mean you spent the night out and apparently Rosh too."
"And? What is that supposed to mean?" Kat asked gravely.
"I'm not saying anything. But you know how fast rumours spread in this school. When we reach the Great Hall everyone will be saying you and Rosh are sleeping together or something." Jade said seriously.
"I was in the Hospital Wing. I spent all night there. You know that." Kat was almost screaming.
"Calm down. I'm sure Jacob Adams is going to kill that rumour."
"And how do you know that?"
"Well he is spreading the one about you going out with him." Jade announced calmly.
"He's what?"
"You heard me." Jade said and entered the Great Hall leaving her friend behind, her mouth wide open.
"I can't believe that prick." Katherine said to herself and with that she entered the Great Hall.
It was full as always but she noticed no one was looking at her, or pointing and whispering. She found it odd but shrugged it off as a good thing. She sat down at her house table and had a nice breakfast. Rosh was nowhere to be found which Kat found weird seeing that it wasn't the day after a full moon or anything. Later she went to her classes.
She didn't see Rosh all day. He hadn't showed up for breakfast, nor the morning classes, he didn't come out for lunch and during the afternoon classes he was a no show. Kat noticed the teachers didn't mention his absence nor seemed preoccupied with it. Potions class went by normally, Professor Dante didn't comment on the lack of a student and not even Harry said anything. Before dinner she went by the common room but he wasn't there. The boys from the 7th year hadn't seen him since the day before and the girls hadn't seen him either. Needless to say he didn't show up for dinner either. By 10 o'clock she was freaking out.
"Where the hell is that guy?" she asked as she and Jade sat by a window side table in the Gryffindor common room.
"I have no idea. And apparently no one else does." Jade said hovering over a chart.
"I may know." Came a male voice from behind Jade. Katherine, who had been looking out the window, turned to look at the boy who had spoken. David Vine, a strange 6th year that had grey hair and light blue eyes, was looking at her with a look that said he wasn't lying.
"So, where is he?" Katherine asked after Jade turned to face the grey haired kid.
"Maybe we should talk about this somewhere more private." He suggested.
"Fine." Katherine said and Jade nodded.
So the Kat and David left the common room and made their way to an empty classroom. Katherine saw the weird kid locking the door and frowned. Had he tricked her?
"It is so that the students on patrol don't interrupt us." He said and took a step forward.
Kat was already regretting agreeing with this situation. She took a step back.
"So where is Rosh?" she asked, her voice shaking a bit.
"Rosh is looking for a mate." The weird grey haired kid said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"He's on his mating season. You see being half wolf means he faces the mating cycle of the aforementioned animal. However his human urges are greater so the wolf cycle takes some time to take over. During the last full moon it took over. Now he's trying to find a mate." David explained wisely.
"Wait a second. No one is supposed to know he's a werewolf." Katherine said worried.
"I'm very perspective, Black. And I know a lot of things." He said with his eyes shinning.
"Whatever. So Rosh is in the forest looking for a female wolf?" Kat was now interested.
"More or less."
"Do wolves mate like forever?"
"Not werewolves. They mate occasionally. Basically because the human sexual instinct tends to overtake the animal instinct. When they are human they tend to forget the animal mate. Only when they transform do they remember and sometimes it's too late and either they lose contact with their previous mate or some other wolf has taken them."
"I see. Well thank you for the info Vine. I appreciate it."
"Not a problem Black. Even when I am surprised you know my name."
"Come on kid. Everyone knows your name. You're different."
"True. We should go back before our time passes and the Heads will get our heads." He said smiling and Kat smiled with him.
He unlocked the door and checked if the coast was clear. Then they both returned to the common room where Kat told Jade everything. It was past midnight when Rosh returned. He looked so tired Katherine stayed in the darkness and simply watched as he made his way up the stairs to his dormitory.
The next day was a Friday and the students found a sign informing about the Hogsmead trip, which would occur the following day. Katherine sighed deeply because that meant one thing. Date with Jacob. She started to wonder how she could go out with Jacob when all she could think about was Rosh's situation. Now she knew why he had acted the way he did the day of the full moon. He was in heat and she was in the line of fire. And the fact he liked her hadn't helped. However another thought come to her. She hadn't really minded when he kissed her like that. The question was: would she be willing to be his mate? They were cousins after all. A sexual relationship was way beyond the acceptable. But did she care?
Her question got lost in the air when she bumped into none other than Jacob.
"Good morning my dear. Have you seen the signs? Our date is tomorrow." He announced cheerfully.
"How great. I can't wait." She said with fake joy.
"I know you can't. We'll have a great time. You'll see." He said smirking like an idiot.
"Whatever Jacob."
She walked past him and closed her eyes. She was doomed and she knew it.
The next day on the line for clearance into Hogsmead Jacob attached himself to Katherine like a leech. She tried to push him away but he didn't budge.
"Let go of me you idiot." She hissed at him.
"No. I'm showing the whole school you are going out with me." He announced proudly.
Katherine just sighed loudly. She had no choice but to walk along and be with him. When she looked behind her she found Rosh looking at her with a death glare. Now she was in trouble.
The date went rather well. Jacob didn't try anything funny and offered to pay everything for her. At a time he told a joke and she actually laughed. More than once she caught herself wondering why he was in Slytherin. He didn't seem to be such a bad guy. He was doing everything in his power to make sure she was having fun and enjoying his company. And strangely enough she was. By the time they got back to Hogwarts she was laughing at almost everything he said that was meant to be funny and clinging to his arm for support. However her mood changed when she saw Rosh sitting against a tree looking at the two of them. His eyes were full of pain and she flinched when he glared. Holding herself together she dragged Jacob inside the castle and they said their goodbyes at the entrance of the Great Hall. Kat later found Jade in the common room and rushed to tell her everything about the date. The green-eyed girl was shocked to hear this new information. Jacob Adams, a Slytherin Head Boy, was a good person? Or was he a very good actor? The question remained unanswered.
Later that day, right before Kat decided to go to bed, Rosh entered the common room. He looked awful. His hair was sticking all over the place, his robes seemed ripped and there was blood on his hands and face. Katherine got up from where she was sitting and approached him. He noticed her presence and looked at her.
"What happened to you?" she asked softly.
"Nothing." He lied.
"Nothing? Look at you. You're…you're bleeding Rosh." she said touching his wounds. He flinched and backed away.
"I'm fine." He insisted.
"No you are not fine. Now tell me what happened."
"Why should I?" he asked angrily. "Apparently I mean nothing to you. I don't remember ever hearing you laugh at what I say or anything for that matter."
"What? Rosh…no…I…"
"Save it. You don't belong to me and I don't belong to you. And that's it." he said and left to his dormitory.
Katherine remained in the common room for about half an hour before she too went to bed. Of course she couldn't exactly sleep. And neither could he.
The next day, a Sunday, Katherine decided to get out of bed late. She wasn't in a very good mood and seeing people was not a priority on her list. However hunger proved stronger than her will and she went down for lunch. On her way to the Great Hall she met up with Jacob. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Suddenly she stopped and looked at him. He had a rather big scar on his left cheek.
"Oh my…what was that?" she asked pointing at his scar.
"That? It's nothing." He said shrugging.
"Nothing?" Kat asked surprised.
"Nothing compared to the ones on my chest. But you don't have to worry about me. Madam Pomfrey fixed them in a snap. I don't feel a thing." He explained rather cheerfully.
"What happened?"
"Well…last night I was patrolling the hallways when I heard a noise somewhere near the Great Hall. I went to check it out and I found this huge wolf. And it was huge. I pulled my wand out but the beast was fast so he got to me before I got to him. He threw his paw at me and hit me on the face and chest. I fell backwards and because of the momentum he fell too. I managed to get up before he did and even though I was bleeding I managed to send him a jinx. I just don't know which one was it. I just know I hit him." Jacob explained proudly.
"Wow! That must have been a hell of fight."
"Yeah. After I hit him I ran to try and find a teacher or something. I ran into Professor Dante but when we got back to the place the wolf was gone. I would have to say he was bleeding too but I can't be 100 sure."
"Well that was a big adventure. I'm glad you're ok."
"Thank you. So wanna go out with me next weekend?"
"I have a choice now?" she asked cocking her head to the side.
"Well, not really. I was just suggesting the day." He said smiling.
"Any day is fine with me. Unless I have detention or a lot of homework."
He laughed and she joined him. But even above the laughing sound she could have swore she heard a growl.
Later that day Katherine stormed into the Gryffindor common room. Almost every Gryffindor was there so she had to do a careful scan of the crowded room to try and find him. But then she remembered the condition he was in so she figured he hadn't left the dormitory. She climbed up the stairs and stopped only when she reached the door to the 7th year's dorm. She tried to open it but it was locked. She tried a spell to open it but it didn't work. So she went to the rail and yelled for the Head Boy. He came running up the stairs and stopped panting beside her.
"What is it Black?" he asked.
"Open this door. Now!" she ordered.
Her eyes shined and the boy whimpered. Then he opened the door and stepped out of the way so she could enter. With a death glare she closed the door on his face and turned to look at the inside of the dorm. It was a complete mess. Clothes were everywhere, dirty socks pilled on a corner of the dorm and the beds unmade.
"Damn this is a mess." She said looking around.
"Nobody told you to come here. If you aren't happy with it, leave." A voice came from one of the beds.
"Not likely."
"What do you want?" Rosh asked surfacing from under his bed covers. He looked exactly like he had the previous night. Without the blood.
"To talk. I want to explain the situation to you." She said calming down.
"Explain what? You don't have to explain anything to me."
"But I want to. And you are going to listen."
"You can talk but you can't make me listen."
"First of all, why did you almost kill Jacob?" she asked sitting on the bed right beside his.
"Jacob? I almost killed Jacob?"
"You…oh come on! That is so not going to work on me." She said annoyed.
"What a second. I have no idea of what you're talking about. I have this blank. I remember I entered the castle sometime during the night. Then I just remember being in front of the painting to our common room with my robes torn apart and blood on my hand. I've got nothing in between." He explained seriously.
"So you're saying you transformed, attacked Jacob then got to the portrait and you don't know you did that."
"That's right."
"So why would the wolf take over and attack Jacob of all people?"
"I don't know. Maybe Jacob just was at the wrong place and at the wrong time."
"Isn't the wolf supposed to be in your subconscious?" Kat asked, an idea forming in her head.
"Yeah. So?"
"I'm guessing subconsciously you wanted to hurt Jacob so the wolf took over and did it for you."
Rosh looked at Kat and thought about her words. Could that be true? Did he want to hurt Jacob? Of course he did. He dared to take his girl. And he wasn't going to tolerate that.
"Why would I want that?" he said with fake conviction.
"Good question." Kat said, her eyes boring deep into his.
"What are you trying to get at?"
"Oh, nothing." She said and got up, casually walking to the window between the beds.
"You were never a good liar, Kat."
"All right. Maybe what I wanted to say was that you were jealous." She said matter of factly.
"Really?" he asked, getting up as well. He was wearing some sleeping pants and a black sleeping shirt.
"Yes. Admit it Rosh, you were jealous." She said, turning to face him.
He didn't answer. Instead he took a step forward and closed in on her. She was trapped between the wall and him. They exchanged a look before Rosh slid towards her and pressed his body against her. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck as he placed his beside her waist, his hands supporting in body on the wall. The kiss they shared was different from all the other ones they ever shared. It was passionate and powerful. Katherine was sandwiched between Rosh's body and the wall but it was a good feeling. Her hands slithered all over his hair and his left arm grabbed her by the waist pushing her even more against his body. Slowly her hands left his hair and moved towards the hem of his shirt, stopping once in while to fell his muscles. Then she tugged at the shirt and began to lift it. He let go of her and broke the kiss to allow his shirt to leave his body. Then, after the shirt flew to the other side of the dorm, he resumed the kiss and she got hold of him eagerly. She felt his strong muscles as she caressed his bare back and a few scars as her hands travelled all over his chest. He was about to pick her up and take her to his bed when someone knocked on the door. They broke apart quickly and Katherine fixed her robes. Rosh went for his shirt and then to the door.
"Who is it?" he asked getting dressed.
"It's Jade. Is Katherine there?" came the voice from the other side of the door.
"Yeah. Do you want something from her?"
"I need her help for something. Are you guys busy?" Jade's voice was filled with surprise.
Rosh turned to look at Katherine and saw her walk to the door. She shook her head and opened the door.
"We were just talking. What do you need help with?" she asked as she took her friend's arm and lead her down to the common room.
He closed the door to his dorm and leaned back against it. 'What just happened?' He asked himself. He didn't really know the answer but he figured that had probably been a first step towards something.
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9 pages…damn. This was a biggie. Anyway…
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