Chapter Seventeen

Remus Lupin shook his head in frustration. Part of his headache he knew had to do with his upcoming transformation, but there was more to it. The search for Draco was slow with no results. It seemed, between both he and Kate, that they had tried everything. Right now, Kate was standing at a board they'd set up. A story board outlining the possible points and placed Draco could possibly be. He never reached the Malfoy Manor. A member of the Order had confirmed that already. Without any known contacts Draco could reach, he could be anywhere on the globe.

Remus watched the Scrying crystal swing over a map of a glove. The tawny crystal swung like a pendulum, dangling by a leather strip. It wouldn't drop. This particular stone was meant to drop on any point of a globe to find any witch or wizard.

"Have we found him yet?" Kate asked as she pressed a red colored pin into the board and turned to him.

"No. I think we need something more powerful to Scry with. Just my memory of him isn't working. Do you have anything of his? Something of his he touched recently?"

Kate racked her memory. Draco had taken everything with him. Had he left anything in the Garden in his last moments at Hogwarts? The note. Draco had left her a note. He would have held that in his hands minutes before he left. She pulled the folded paper from her pocket. It hadn't left her side since she found it. "Yes," Kate said and handed him the note.

Remus didn't open it. He held it carefully between his fingers and closed his eyes to concentrate. The crystal dropped immediately onto the map spread over the desk.

Kate looked up at the plunk. "Where is he?"

He leaned closer to the map and shook his head again. "Are you sure he actually left? The crystal says Draco is still at Hogwarts."

Kate shook her head. It couldn't be true. Draco had to be gone. "It can't be. He left. Draco left me the note…"

Remus left the map and began rummaging in his desk and finally retrieving a crinkled scrap of parchment. He unfolded it and placed it on top of the map. He pulled his wand from inside his cloak and tapped the parchment, uttering words Kate couldn't quite hear. It was another map. A map of Hogwarts. Dots roamed around in the corridors, representing people. Their names were written in spidery scripts beneath them as they moved around. Low and behold, Draco was among them. He was in the dungeons and Snape was with him.

More hurt than furious, Kate fled.

She ended up in the astrology tower. Kate was shaking with anger and her green eyes were glossy with tears. There appeared to be no one there, but Kate knew better.

"I know you're here! Come out!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She screamed the words angrily over and over like a child. Finally, she was tired. "Please. Draco. Talk to me," she moaned. Kate heard him breathe deeply.

The invisibility cloak dropped to the floor. Kate saw the embroidery on the collar. KB It was her own cloak. Draco was standing no more than a foot from her. He was crying too.

Kate flung her arms round his neck and let her tears go. "I didn't believe you'd actual leave me. I couldn't believe it…"

He held his arms tightly around her and stroking her head. "I'm sorry. Merlin, Kate. I'm so sorry. It was the only way. I had to hide and what better place than Hogwarts?"

"Don't laugh. It's not funny."

"I'm sorry, Kate. I won't leave you again. I promise you that."

Kate leaned her head into his chest. She believed him.

It was dark and Kate lay in the Tower. Because Kate had found him, Draco's cover was blown. He was next to her, his arms holding her. She had a strange feeling that they were being watched. Draco had fallen asleep and that made her edgy. Kate was desperately tired. Even since before Draco left she hadn't slept well.

A window creaked in the wind. Kate bolted up, ready to attack whatever it was. The lack of sleep paranoia was getting to her. She got up and closed it. Soon, Kate was sleeping, a vision of a dark figure standing over her.

In the morning, Kate brought Draco to Snape like she'd promised before Draco hid. They sat in his grimy office, drinking stale coffee.

"Can we agree that you two are the next Guardians?" Severus Snape asked, watching them both carefully.

Kate nodded.

"What about Harry Potter?" Draco asked. He didn't look at Kate, but at Snape.

"Harry left. For good. He can't be the Guardian no more than this teacup."

"But, he can--could--open the Garden. If he came back, couldn't he get the Arca?" Kate remembered Harry had let himself into the Garden. Sibyll Trelawney had told her that the female Guardian opens the Garden for the male.

Snape shrugged. "He left, didn't he? I highly doubt he'll come back just to break into the Garden."

Kate didn't respond. Didn't move. Harry was really gone. He was the one who'd actually left her. The irony made Kate's insides squirm.

Kate fell into a restless sleep, even with Draco at her side. The thought that Harry had never come back wasn't leaving her as easily as she'd thought. Even though she'd gone back to Draco, the option of Harry stayed open in Kate's mind. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't stop thinking of him. Kate also knew it wasn't fair to Draco, nor was it to Harry. Harry had deserved her wholly then, but Draco deserved and needed her now. Kate finally fell into a still sleep, deciding to choose Draco.

Draco bolted awake. Someone was in the room. He could see the figure like a moving shadow. He was carefully trying to wake Kate. Whatever it was, the odds they'd beat it were greater with both of them. She finally woke and was aware as she saw him sitting up, reaching for his wand. Kate readied her mind.

"Ah, the Guardian is awake?" the malevolent voice said. The figure threw back the curtains, revealing him. It was Lord Voldemort. "I thought the Guardians usually married one another. This must be an exception." The terrible red eyes laughed at them.

Kate was confused and terrified at the same time. She wasn't scared for herself, she was scared for Draco. They would have to fight him long enough for someone to get up to the Tower.

The Dark Lord was getting closer to them. The freezing spell Kate threw at him bounced off harmlessly. Again, she tried but to no avail.

"Get out of the way, silly girl. You are not the one I want. I want the Guardian. That one." He pointed at Draco.

Kate almost laughed. Draco couldn't, wouldn't, go inside without her. Especially not now. I'm the Guardian, she almost said. But Draco had stopped her with a glare. "You can't take him!"

Voldemort laughed. "Not now silly girl. I have work to do," she said and muttered under his breath.

Kate was thrown out of the bed and into a corner. She hit her head on a corner and the awareness drained out of her. The last things she saw were Draco having the consciousness knocked out of him like a rag doll and he was gone. Draco had disappeared with the darkness.