Did I take too long? To update? I apologize

The Cahill flat was much nicer on the inside than the hallway where Alicia had been standing. The walls had been painted, the furniture refurbished, no doubt with the help of magic, and it was all very homey.

"You look so much like your mum, I wasn't worried that I had come to the wrong flat at all," Alicia said, trying to make conversation as she and Emily made their way to the couch.

Emily smiled politely as they walked by a row of pictures. Alicia paused and stared at one, her breathing becoming rampant. She was looking at a smiling, young Katie, minus the deep brown eyes and chestnut hair. This girl had dark eyes, much darker than Katie's and her hair was almost black.

"Oh, Merlin. That's--oh, Merlin." Alicia muttered.

"Didn't you know?" Emily questioned, her eyes even brighter with surprise.

Alicia dumbly shook her head, as Emily guided her to the couch.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning." Emily sighed as the two sat. She took a deep breath and began.

"Katie isn't my blood sister, she was adopted when she was five. It was my dad's idea, my mum wasn't thrilled and she let Katie know. You see, my dad was sure that Katie would overcome her past and be this golden girl, perfect in everyone's eyes. My mum was sure that Katie would end up like her birth parents.

"I guess it's understandable, what Katies Mum and Dad did, but at the same time not. They were both from Ravenclaw, and they married right out of school and had Katie a few years later. Only, they named her Katerina. They were Kosey and Kelene Nochiviscoff. He was Russian, she was Greek. This was in the time when he-who-must-not-be named was at full power, and Kosey got scared. He decided, in order to protect his family, that they would be Death Eaters, but not really. Spies, almost, except without any plans to actually help either side.

"At first things were fine, they were never called upon to do anything, and nothing bad was happening. Then they were called upon to go to meetings, which Kosey tried to be careful about. But something he never saw coming happened, Kelene got into it. I mean, really into it. Dark Mark and everything.

"It soon leaked that the Nochiviscoffs were Death Eaters, when Katie was about two and a half and Kelene was full fledged Death Eater and Kosey had lost control. No one knows for sure, but I think he's the one who turned them in, trying to help Katie get away before it was too late. Kelene was sent to Azkaban, screaming about filthy mudbloods as they dragged her away, and Kosey hanged himself before his trial.

"Dad desperately wanted to adopt Katie right away, he had known Kosey and Kelene in school, he knew that they weren't bad, just scared. He was convinced that Katie would be okay, if raised right. She was barely talking when all this happened, only muttering unforgivable curses under her breath. Her parents had obviously been too busy trying to save her to actually raise her. Mum was convinced that nothing could be done to save the girl and she would be a waste. So, she went into foster care for about 2 1/2 years, until Mum finally broke down and let Dad adopt her. I don't know how he talked her into it, but he did. And that's how she became Katie Bell."

"Katie never said anything about being adopted...but then again, why would she?" Alicia gave a little bitter laugh at that. "I suppose there's quite a bit more I don't know about her, then?" she looked back at the photo she had been gaping at earlier as she asked.

"Her third year. Mum flipped out, Dad cried. She never did say who the father is." Emily, smiled a bit, feeling some pride at the heart her younger sister had.

"Is she Bell, K.?"

"Yep, Kamryn Bell. Katie named her, and then asked me to raise her. I can't imagine having a baby at fourteen, yet she did."

"Fourteen? That would make it her third year...she was still playing quidditch! I didn't even notice a change in her size! Did she use a a concealing spell?"

"I doubt it. I think she just hid it well. Mum and Dad didn't even know she was expecting until the end of the summer, when she had Kamryn. She left for Hogwarts two weeks later, after asking that I'd watch her. She never cried, she always kept her strong face on."

"She didn't cry? Katie was always emotional! That's what made her so fun! She was overdramatic, it was hilarious. You should have heard her go off after quidditch practice, nearly talked our captain's ear off more times than I can count."

Emily gave another sweet little smile before saying, "That's because you knew Hogwarts Katie, and I knew Home Katie."

"Hogwarts Katie?" Alicia questioned, her memories going back to the most disturbing conversation in the history of speaking she'd had with Filch.

"At school, Katie acted like the angel Dad had hoped for. At home, she was exactly what Mum had expected. She'd stay out all night, party, come home drunk, and fight. She was a real laugh, actually. And, of course, that was the time she got pregnant and didn't tell anyone."

"Did Katie just...leave Kamryn with you?" Alicia nervously questioned.

"You mean abandon her? No, not really. She was visiting every couple weeks up to a few months ago. I'm getting worried about her."

"How'd she manage coming every couple weeks?"

"Hogsmeade weekends, she'd come here right after, usually with some gift for Kamryn."

"I always thought she met up with another group of friends..." Alicia thought out loud.

"Katie had a way of slipping in and out between your fingers without you even noticing she was in your hands to begin with." Emily commented, nodding as she visited memories Alicia could only wonder about.

"Do you have any information about her past? Like when she was in foster care?" Alicia quietly asked, hoping she hadn't pushed Emily too far, but at the same time wildly dreaming that all her questions would be answered.

Emily didn't say anything, but got up, looking for something on a bookshelf. She turned around, and handed a small red book to Alica. In gold the words "Property of Katie Jane Bell" with loops and sparkle made the cover fancy.

"It was her diary. I never could read it after she left it here, after her last visit." Emily smiled. She was always smiling, a gentle smile, and Alicia was about to protest, but then the door opened.

A tall man with spikey hair and a fashionably oversized jacket walked in with the girl from the picture. She looked about ten years old, with overly curious eyes that were able to bore right through Alicia as soon as they fell on her.

"Hi, I'm Rick." the man grinned, extending his hand. Alicia had of course figured that out already, and was too busy staring back at the little girl to really think about being polite.

"Alicia," she mumbled, "it was nice meeting you." she managed to get out, but then she was out the door.

She couldn't stand not knowing everything.