Author's Note: Alright, here's chapter 10! It's a bit longer, to make up for the short chapters I've been feeding you. This one explains Katie's parents' divorce, and Maura's hatred. Sort of. I think I can leave you to make educated guesses. Anyway, I changed the timing around a little bit to make it flow a bit better. So instead of this happening recently, it happen in Katie's first year. I'll go back and fix other mentionings of this later. Enjoy, and ask me any questions you like!

Disclaimer: I own Katie's family. HarHar. What an achievement!

You're So Tactless

Chapter 10: Crying Over What's Been Lost

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Alicia dropped the paper and scrambled over to where Angelina had me in a suffocating grip.

" You mean, Maura as in the sister you caught-"

" Yes, Alicia!" I snapped exasperatedly.

Angelina loosened her grip a bit when Fred placed a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around right into his arms, surprising the both of them. Blushing, she turned back to me, and placed a sympathetic arm around my shoulders again. I leaned my head on her shoulder, and sighed heavily. Lee and George came racing over, forgetting the old crumbly piece of paper that the Twins and Lee always carried around.

" What's going on?" Lee demanded, taking in my state with a concerned eye.

George nodded, coming around to my other side, and placing a hand on my shoulder, rubbing softly. " Yeah, Katie, what's up?"

I looked at them tearfully, " My dad is back."

George blinked. " Isn't that a good thing?"

" Well," Angelina said, biting her lower lip as she paused. " He brought Maura with him."

George paled and Fred's eyes bulged. I had informed the twins last year about the events that transpired all those years ago. Mum and Dad divorcing, and Maura and-

Lee frowned. " Maura?"

" My sister," I confirmed, brushing everyone off of me, and standing up straight. I had to be strong.

" You want to tell me what's going on, Katie?" Lee asked softly.

I nodded, and Angelina looked at me worriedly. She had good reason to, too. When I told Angelina and Alicia, it was a right pain in the neck because it took me two weeks to get the whole story out. But that was only because it had just happened.

"You'd be better off in the library," Alicia whispered, nodding in the direction of the portrait hole.

I gave a quick nod, and grabbed Lee by the hand and dragged him out the door. I raced down the hall, not sure of why I was running, and I nearly ran into the corners as I rounded them. I think Lee had detached himself from me by that point, because I didn't hear an shouted obscenities, (apart from a painting I nearly knocked over.)

I stopped directly in the doorway of the library, flicking my gaze around, trying to search out Madame Pince. I smoothed my hair, and nearly toppled over when Lee ran into me.

"Careful!" I hissed, tiptoeing over to a table in the mot dimly lit corner.

Lee pulled my chair out for me and I sat down. He took his place across from me, and looked straight at me. His intense gaze made me squirm in my seat. I felt as if this were the Spanish Incision, or whatever Professor Evington called it during Muggle Studies.

" Um, Maura is my older sister. She was a year ahead of Charlie Weasley." I began to explain, squeezing my eyes shut.

Lee tapped my hand, and shook his head. He was right. I was being silly. So I chose to concentrate on the intricate grooves of the wooden table.

" And?" he prompted, leaning back slightly.

" And she was dating Kirk Davies, Roger's older brother at the time, while she was still here at Hogwarts. Well, they were pretty close," I said, swallowing and looking at the ceiling for variety.

" So I am left to assume," Lee said mildly, grinning.

I shot a look at him. " The point being, one day over the holiday break, I caught them shagging in her room."

Lee made a face.

" And then Maura transferred to Beauxbatons immediately afterwards." I said, trying to shake the image out of my mind.

" I think you're leaving something out," Lee said gently, " You caught her shagging and she transfers. Why?"

" Oh," I replied, blushing furiously, " My parents found out and were irate. And then it got around the school because mum sent a Howler, explaining every last detail."

Lee snorted. " How'd your parents find out?"

I paled. "Maura blames me."

Lee's eyes widened.

" She does," I said hopelessly.

" No! Katie- you didn't tell them did you?"

I swallowed again and cracked my knuckles. I couldn't remember if I had or hadn't. I was about eleven at the time, and I woke up one morning to a huge row between mum and Maura. Maura had her bags all packed and mum threw her out. I didn't understand, I ran to the door to say goodbye to Maura, because I thought she was just leaving for a few days. She turned around and I got the full force of her words…

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" I HATE YOU!" Maura screamed, as Lisa Bell began to shut the door, trying to pull back a young Katie.

" GOOD RIDDANCE, YOU DISGRACE!" Lisa Bell shouted back.

Robert Bell came racing down the stairs at that exact moment, and Katie launched herself at him.

" Daddy!" she wailed, " I didn't get to say goodbye to Maura!"

Robert looked up at Lisa. " What happened?" he asked.

" Your daughter is going to Beauxbatons." Lisa sniffed, smoothing her hair and picking up where she left off with breakfast.

" WHAT?" Robert thundered, causing Lisa to drop the spoon.

Katie cringed as it clattered on the floor.

" It's for the best."

" We didn't agree on it." Robert pointed out, advancing on Lisa.

Lisa turned to him and put her hands on her hips, her chin thrust forward decidedly. She was glaring at him, and she stood her ground, despite that fact that she was a petite woman, and Robert towered over her.

" It doesn't matter. It's done with anyway," she said coolly.

" BLOODY HELL WOMAN, DO YOU NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN?" Robert roared, his face turning red.

Katie began to cry quietly, and she ran into the living room and hid behind the sofa. She pulled her knees up to her chest, and rocked her tiny body back and forth. Why was everyone so angry? Did she do something wrong? What happened? Thing had been going badly ever since she caught Maura and Kirk doing adult stuff in Maura's room a couple days ago. Oh no! This was all her fault!

"- utter disappointment, Robert, I don't know how you put up with them." she heard her mother say indignantly.

" They are not!" her father fired back, and Katie thought she her some china shatter.

Katie wasn't sure how long that fight lasted, and she wasn't sure how long she sat there. But after a while, Robert came and found her.

" Katie, my goodness! Why are you crying?" Robert asked worriedly, scooping her up into his arms.

" Because every-everyone is angry!" Katie chocked out, bawling some more.

Robert carried her up the stairs, and shushed her, laying her in her bed and tucking her in. He sat on the edge, gently stroking her head until she finally calmed down and fell asleep.

Sadly, that was the same routine every morning for two weeks, until finally-

" Katie, Daddy is leaving," Lisa said, patting her child on the head.

" Why?" Katie screeched, jumping up out of bed, and barreling down the stairs.

She raced to the kitchen door, and flung it open. She saw her dad walk slowly away from the house, out to the end of the driveway.

" Daddy!" she screamed, running after him.

Robert turned around and smiled sadly. Then he disappeared with a -pop

Katie grappled with the air where her father used to stand, telling herself that he would come back in a few seconds. She beat the cement driveway until her hands began to crack and bleed. Lisa rushed out when she saw the blood on the ground, cursing Robert, and picking her child up off the ground.

" Nooooo!" Katie wailed, flailing and kicking, trying to wriggle out of her mother grasp.

" Katie stop kicking damnit!" Lisa yelled, accidentally dropping Katie.

She fell hard onto the cement and blacked out.

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I didn't realize I had been crying for the past half hour. I wasn't even in the library anymore. I was up on the Astronomy tower, soaking Lee's shirt to oblivion. I began to shake when I was aware of my surroundings, and I pushed away from him jerkily.

" I'm sorry," I said, swiping at my nose hurriedly and brushing my hands off on my robe.

He frowned slightly. " You've nothing to be sorry about."

" It's silly. I really shouldn't care about it. I mean, so what Maura left? She hates me, so let her? So what if my parents got divorced? I mean, let them not care!" I said, beginning to cry again, turning away from lee and wringing the hem of my robe.

Lee took me back into his arms and sighed deeply.

" Oh Lee, what's going to happen?" I cried softly.

" I don't know, Katie, I don't know," Lee murmured, rocking me lightly, and rubbing my back soothingly.

End Chapter