Later that evening, as she was about to leave the Great Hall, she saw Luna heading off toward where she supposed the Ravenclaw Common Room must be. She was all alone as she walked along the hallway, reading an upside-down edition of a magazine called The Quibbler. A few other Ravenclaw girls were talking about her in the corner and laughing.
Kim felt infuriated. She walked over to Luna and said her hellos. Luna nodded and smiled at her before telling her about the latest sighting of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack that was sent to her father from Sweden by owl post. Kim did not tell Luna that there was no such thing as a Crumple-Horned Snorkack: she figured that Luna probably got enough of that on a daily basis, anyway.
Kim finally said good-bye to Luna and was about to head off toward her own Common Room to get ready for bed, when Terry Hoven appeared out of nowhere.
"Hello, Kim," he said pleasantly.
"Uh, hi," she responded and dropped her Divination book and homework that she'd been doing during dinner.
She hastily grabbed her things and looked back up at Terry, realizing that somehow, her friends had managed to turn up right behind her. She was kind of freaked out at how perspective they were.
"Um, Terry, I kind of have to get to my Dormitory," she said, trying to think of an excuse, "I'm really tired, you know? I usually don't do so much during the day…"
"We didn't do all that much today, though," he replied, frowning slightly.
"I know, but I'm just lazy," she replied with a fake laugh.
Terry smiled a bit, even though he looked slightly hurt and a bit confused.
"Alright, see you around."
"Yeah, bye," Kim replied and headed off the other way to catch up with her friends.
"What did he say?" Lauren asked, slyly.
"Hi and that's it," she answered truthfully.
"I don't see why you don't just go to Hogsmeade with him," Anna mumbled. "He'd probably do it."
"But I don't want to get into any relationships right now," Kim protested.
"Why not? Every girl needs SOME love in her life. Why not you?"
Kim didn't answer. Maybe they were right. Why shouldn't she have some fun in her life? And she might end up liking Terry Hoven, after all… maybe he just needed a chance…
Lauren, Ginny and Anna were silent for a few moments, while she turned this thought over in her head. She was still in her trance when they reached the Portrait Hole to Gryffindor Tower.
Ginny said the password, they climbed the staircase to their Dormitory, got into their pajamas, and sat on their beds before any of them said anything.
"Well?" Anna finally broke the silence.
"When's the next Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Thursday," Lauren replied. "All of our Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons are on Thursdays."
"But we DO have Care of Magical Creatures on Monday of next week," Ginny added. "They're with the Ravenclaws."
"Terry IS in Care of Magical Creatures, right?" Lauren wondered.
"Yeah, he is," Anna replied. "I remember talking to him once during class."
"When's the first Hogsmeade weekend?" Kim wondered.
The girls grinned at one another. "October 15th," Anna replied.
"That's my birthday!" Kim exclaimed.
"All the more reason that you should go to Hogsmeade with a date," Lauren concluded happily.
"Maybe…" Kim replied slowly before drifting off into a deep sleep.
0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0
She had a horrible nightmare. She was in front of Voldemort who was asking her millions of questions that she didn't have answers to. When she turned up empty-handed, he told her how disappointing she was and that even her father was a better traitor than she was. She tried to ask what he meant when he said that her father was a traitor, but he just laughed and mocked her. Then he used the Cuciatus Curse on her for not giving him the right information, until...
"Kim, wake-up!"
She screamed and bolted upright.
"You were rolling around everywhere and flailing your arms like a madwoman and screaming!" Kim could make out Anna's chalk-white face in the dark room.
"You look pretty pale, Kim," Lauren murmured. Kim thought that Lauren should look in a mirror – her face was pretty pale, too…
"Why don't you go down stairs into the Common Room for a bit? Sitting by the fire might relax you. Think about something good," Anna suggested, looking quite a bit calmer than she had a few moments ago.
"I think I will… sorry for waking you up," she apologized and went down the stairs to go sit by the burning embers of the late fire.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard voices coming from the room. Not being especially in the mood to listen to what was probably a few third years gossiping over the duel that had taken place in the fourth-floor corridor just after lunch, Kim trudged back up the stairs to try and sleep again. She closed the door and fell back into a dreamless sleep.
0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0
"I'm telling you, Hermione, that girl looks just like Pettigrew! I wouldn't be surprised if he had a niece or something!"
"Yeah and how do you explain that conversation between her and Malfoy that I heard part of?" Harry added. "She's in touch with the Death Eaters through the Slytherins! She's stalking me."
"That would explain why she was glaring at Harry throughout that Chess game the other day," Ron continued.
"But she can't be! When Peter was Scabbers, he was with Ron! He didn't have any brothers or sisters and he wouldn't have been able to have had a daughter, would he?" Hermione replied.
"Hermione, you're one of the most brilliant witches I know," Harry said. "Surely you can see the connection?"
"I see a connection, but even Pettigrew isn't dumb enough to put her through Hogwarts without a disguise," she replied. "Although I'd like to believe it, I still need a little more proof before I would go to Dumbledore about it!"
"She changed her last name to Barkley!" Ron exclaimed.
"So?" Hermione hissed. "That just makes the proof harder to pinpoint. Imagine how embarrassing it would be if Kim was actually innocent?"
"That's why Natalie is here," Harry replied. "She's Lupin's daughter."
"I never knew Lupin had a daughter," Ron said, eyeing the girl with curiosity.
"True. Not many did," Natalie replied. "My father only found out about me when my mother died over the summer."
"I'm sorry," Hermione said instantly.
Natalie accepted the sympathy with a nod of her head.
"Kim acted a bit odd ever since I met her on the train," she said. "When she asked my dad how to get onto the platform, she had to pause before she said her last name and she had a rat in her pocket that was squeaking like mad."
"Do you need any more proof than that, Hermione?" Ron interrupted, his face red with excitement.
"Hush, Ron, let her go on," Hermione answered, nonplussed.
"When I saw her again, she didn't have her rat anymore," Natalie continued. "Later, when we were talking, she said something very odd. She said 'All of the people in my house were in Slytherin.' When I asked her what she meant by 'all of the people in her house', she said that she had meant to say 'her family'."
"That is very suspicious," Hermione admitted.
"Are you convinced now, Hermione?"
"I think I am," she replied. "What do you think we should do about it?"
"Go to Dumbledore," Ron suggested immediately.
"Maybe one of us should talk to her," Natalie contradicted. "I could do it! I could invite her over for Christmas Break and tell my dad what we think."
"That would be perfect," Harry replied.
"Does Lupin live at Grimmauld Place?"
"Yes, but not on #12. We live near there on #18."
"See if you can bring up the subject of family."
"I will."
"Perfect! So we've got a plan. Maybe we should feed her some false information…"
"I'll send a letter to my dad if you want," Natalie added.
"Alright, and I'll send one to mine," Ron agreed.
"Alright then. Good night all," Natalie concluded and climbed up the stairs to her dormitory.
Three dorm rooms shut and four students lay down to sleep, all squirming with the thoughts of what they might have to do to a fellow classmate. One question was running through their minds, however: why had she been placed into Gryffindor?
0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0
By the time Monday rolled around, Lauren, Ginny, and Anna were all looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures more then they ever had. They were all pressuring Kim so much that her mind was completely taken off of her job to spy on Harry.
"What do you suppose he'll say?" Lauren wondered for the 50th time.
"If you ask me," Anna replied, giggling, "you're more excited about this than Kim is."
Lauren protested, but said no more about it. Kim was glad, because there was a lot going through her head at the moment.
"Hello, Kim," Hermione said, sitting across from her with a slightly forced smile.
"Hi, Hermione," Kim replied brightly. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," she replied.
"I was wondering if you could help me out," Kim said, cutting up a pancake with her fork. Hermione's smile dropped off of her face, but she didn't notice. "Can you help me with my Transfiguration homework? Ginny tells me you're brilliant and I don't get it."
"Sure, what don't you get?"
As Hermione began getting lost in the thrill of homework and explaining (for the first time) to someone who had actually asked for her help, Draco Malfoy approached.
"Kim," he said with a disgusted look on his face, "you can do better than making friends with a Mudblood."
"Oh, sod off, Draco," Kim replied coolly. "She might not be pureblood, or even half-blood, but that doesn't make you any better than she is, now explain your purpose on coming here and ruining my day."
Odd, Hermione thought inwardly, why should she stick up for me if she's working with Malfoy? Maybe there's more to this picture than we think…
"I need to talk to you," he said through the corner of his mouth. "It's important."
"What could be so important that it can't wait?" Kim asked icily.
"It's about dad, you know... your uncle?" he replied, trying to say what he wanted to without Hermione catching on.
"Did he get his head stuck in the you-know-what again?" she asked, catching on to the code he was using.
"Yes."
Kim stared at him, then sighed as Hermione looked confused, "Do you mind, Hermione? My uncle has this weird obsessions... he got his head stuck."
"Head stuck in WHAT?"
"Uh..." Kim looked at Draco for support. He was blushing scarlet as it was, positively embarrassed to a point of near explosion. "Never mind…"
She grabbed her homework, said one last 'thank-you' and hurried off, practically being dragged out of the Great Hall by Draco.
"How embarrassing," he muttered as they stepped into an empty classroom.
"Yeah, well, at least you can keep your own name here. Whenever someone says 'Ms Barkley, your pillow is on fire' or 'Ms Barkley, your robes are on backwards,' or 'Kim Barkley, you know more curses than I do and I'm a seventh year!' or 'No, Ms Barkley, Avada Kedavra is not the proper way to defend yourself', I have to think a minute to remember that that's ME that they're talking to," she retorted, flopping into an empty seat.
Draco eyed her weirdly.
"So, what did you need to say that's so important?"
"The Dark Lord wants you to see if you can worm your way into going to Lupin's house for Christmas Break. He also says that he's… well… you read it…" He took two pieces of parchment out of his pocket and handed her one of them.
Kim took the parchment and read what it said:
Draco, give this to Kimberly,
We've been told that you've made "friends" with two different children whose fathers are in the Order of the Phoenix: Lupin and Weasley.
Although we have gotten your message that Potter is staying at the Weasleys' house for Christmas Break, the Dark Lord wants you to stay at the Lupins' if possible. Be warned: Remus Lupin is a werewolf, so it is most likely that his daughter is one as well. If you can pull it off (it might be very difficult), then do so. If not, you are not to stay at the Weasleys' under any circumstances! We are planning an attack on their home and we don't want you to get in the way. That's all. If you can't stay at the Lupins', then come straight home. We need some help back here.
Bella
P.S. You're not to marry Karl. It might be difficult for you, but see if you can get someone whose parents are in the Order to fall for you at the moment. It would be an easier tactic.
Kim read over the note twice, then handed it back to Draco. "I can't keep it in my dorm, because Lauren has a habit of going through everyone else's things. Thanks, though."
"No problem," Draco replied, "but just a request for the future: don't say to Granger that my father got his head stuck in anything."
"Gotcha," she replied and walked back to breakfast.
0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0-o-0
Later that day, during Care of Magical Creatures, Kim was watching the Erklings they were learning about with great interest. It was then that Terry approached her.
"Hello," he said, sitting on the ground next to her, as she leaned forward with interest as Hagrid explained that Erklings entrance children using a high-pitched cackle before they ate them.
She whipped around, "Oh! Hi!"
"You seem pretty happy," he commented with a smile.
"Yeah, Erklings are cool, aren't they?" she replied, watching the little elfish creature chomp down on a dead snake. Things like this fascinated Kim greatly. Perhaps that was why Voldemort had told her to take care of Magical Creatures... also, of course, to spy on the half-giant, Hagrid, who taught it. Apparently, he was in the Order of the Phoenix…
"Er..."
Quite the contrary, Terry seemed to think that the Erkling was a rather awful creature.
"I'm not saying that you have to like it," Kim said quickly, noticing the look on Terry's face. "I've always had this thing for dangerous creatures…"
"Well, did you ever meet one when you were a kid? Because that could be why."
Kim laughed, "I've met so many dangerous creatures... I used to have a pet Runespoor when I was seven."
"Aren't Runespoors those three-headed venomous snakes?" Terry asked, his eyebrows raised so high they were in danger of disappearing.
"Yeah. Great aren't they?"
"Who gave you a Runespoor for a pet?"
"My dad, why?"
He looked at her with disbelief etched on his face, "Never mind…"
Kim spotted Ginny looking at her with a trying-not-to-giggle expression. She decided to ignore her and just watched the Erkling feed on a few live insects that repulsed more of the class.
"So, you know that a trip to Hogsmeade is coming up before Halloween," Terry said casually.
"Really? I've always wanted to see what that was like…" she lied. If truth be told, she had no interest in Hogsmeade whatsoever.
"Yeah," he went on, encouraged by her apparent interest, "on October the fifteenth."
"That's my birthday," she said with a grin.
"Is it?"
"Yes."
"Well, er, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade… with me?"
She looked at him as though surprised that he would say something like that. He looked hopeful. She smiled and replied, "Sure, I'll go with you."
"Great!" he exclaimed, looking relieved. "I'll see you on October the fifteenth, then." With that, he moved off and Ginny, Lauren, and Anna all moved toward Kim to get the scoop.
"Well?" Anna asked impatiently.
"I'm going with him to Hogsmeade," she replied bluntly.
At that moment, Hagrid happened to ask the class if anyone would like to hold the Erkling and her hand shot into the air. A few people away, Luna's hand slowly rose into the air as well.
"All righ' then," Hagrid chuckled. "Glad ter see yer interested." He picked on Kim to come up first.
"He's so cute," Kim crooned happily. Most of the class looked at her like she was sick in her head.
"He is, isn' he?" Hagrid said, beaming at her. His smile faded when the Erkling bit her, however. "Sorry 'bout that…"
"It's okay, he was probably just scared," Kim replied, wrapping her bloody arm in her robes.
"Get up ter the Hospital Wing," the Professor ordered and she did as she was told.
When she got there and walked in, she saw only one other person. Madam Pomfrey asked her to take a seat while she fetched her disinfectants.
"Miss Asthertet, you may leave. Your bones are officially re-healed. Get back to class," she said sternly to the first-year who was sitting on the edge of a nearby bed. Then she rounded on Kim, "What have we here?"
"Erkling bite," she replied optimistically.
"I see," she replied, lowering her spectacles so she could look at her properly. "All right, Miss Barkley, hold out your arm… this may sting for a moment."
After a few minutes, Kim was healed again. She was about to head back to class, but realized that classes were going to end in exactly one minute. So instead, she wandered down to the Great Hall for lunch and waited for her friends and possibly Hermione, who might be able to help her finish her Transfiguration homework.