"Whoa." Harry said. "Does it hurt sometimes?"
"Yeah." Cat said, now feeling more comfortable, though she wasn't exactly sure why. "That's how I knew you were telling the truth when Voldemort came back. I knew something had gone wrong in the maze. It started just hurting, and then it just started coming in these painful doses. Madame Maxime thought I was going mad. I thought I was going mad too. But when I saw you coming back with Cedric Diggory, I got very angry. Everybody at Beauxbatons just thought I was crazy."
"Would you like to come home with us?" Ron asked. He didn't know why he was being so friendly to a girl whom he hardly knew, but Ron felt she was to be trusted.
"We have to keep this quiet though." Catherine told Ron, looking him directly in the eye. "If Voldemort knew I lived too, he'll go ballistic, and we won't be able to find the five Horcruxes."
"You know about the Horcruxes?" Hermione hissed.
"Yeah. I destroyed one, and we just have to find the last five-"
"I destroyed one, and Dumbledore destroyed one." Harry said. "So there's only three left."
"What did you destroy?"
"Godric Gryffindor wand." Cat said. "I felt a bit bad about destroying an idem that was worth so much, but oh well."
Mrs. Weasley motioned for the four of them to come over. She was standing with the whole family. Harry, Ron and Hermione got up, and started walking over. Harry turned around, and grabbed Catherine's arm, and pulled her over.
"Hey, mom, can our friend stay with us?" Ron asked Mrs. Weasley.
Mrs. Weasley obviously had other things on her mind, so she said, "Yes, sure, of course."
Ron looked at Cat and shrugged. Lupin looked at Cat. "What did you say your name was?"
"Cat. Catherine. Burke."
"Paul Burke must be a relation." Lupin told her.
"He was my father." Cat answered. "Jenna Burke was my mother."
"You look just like him." Lupin said. Catherine smiled. "But your smile, its Jenna's."
"Thank you very much, sir."
The 'sir' did it, and Lupin took an instant liking to Catherine.
……………………….
After tearfully saying goodbye to Hogwarts, everybody returned to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.
"FILTHY HALF BLOODS! DIRTY BLOOD TRAITORS!"
"And that's my great-god-mother." Harry said.
"She seems… pleasant." Cat said. Harry laughed.
"Who's she?" Ginny asked.
"This is Catherine." Harry said, looking down.
"Hello." Cat said brightly. She didn't know that Harry had just broken up with her.
Ginny looked at them, and ran up the stairs. Ron glared at him.
"Did I say something?" Cat asked, her blue eyes wide.
"No, she's just, er," Hermione stammered, trying to find the right words.
"Heartbroken." Ron said.
"Ron, you have no idea!" Harry yelled.
"Yeah, I do!" Ron said. "You're not putting her in any danger!"
"Yeah, I am!" Harry shot back. "Voldemort has already used her to open the Chamber of Secrets. What do you think he'll do to her now?"
"No, this is all my fault!" Cat wailed, but Ron and Harry kept yelling at each other. Hermione kept her head in her book.
Then two sharp cracks, and one scream, interrupted the whole thing. Fred and George appeared, George landing on Hermione's lap.
"Oh, didn't think anyone would be sitting in this chair." George said. Hermione looked mad and embarrassed at the same time.
"Yeah, well, get off!" Hermione cried and she pushed George off with all of her might.
"Hey, you!" Fred said.
"I don't know you." George said.
"Well, I'm just gonna have to introduce myself all day, aren't I?" Cat said.
"I'm George, that's Fred, you are…"
"Catherine."
"Well, then Miss Catherine, we have some things to show you." Fred told her.
"She doesn't want to buy anything!" Ron yelled.
"Geez." Fred said. Him and George left with a crack.
……………………….
Later that night, Hermione appeared in Ron and Harry's room. She appeared much quieter than Fred and George did, so it gave the two boys a shock.
"What are you doing?" Ron asked sleepily.
"I wanted to talk to you two about Catherine." She said.
"What about her?" Harry asked, reaching for his glasses.
"I don't know, it just seems, far-fetched you know, that Voldemort would mark her as equal two." Hermione told them. "And Ginny doesn't seem to be too happy about it either."
"What?" Harry asked. "Why?"
"Because she told me that's why." Hermione retorted. "Harry, she thinks that you like her."
"But I don't." Harry said. "I don't even know her."
"But how is Ginny supposed to know that?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know." Muttered Harry.
"Remember what Dumbledore said?" Hermione said.
"No." Ron said, his eyes still closed.
"About what?" said Harry.
"About the one power that Voldemort doesn't have. The power to love." Hermione said quietly.
Harry looked down.
Hermione gave him a half smile and left with her quiet crack.