Chapter three: Kat Scratch Fever

"Here I stand before myself
I see somethings out of place
You tasted all my purity
Now there's nothing left to waste
The feeling gets so in my way
It's getting lost in my delivery
The feeling gets so in my way"

"Sold Me" Seether

"Kat! Get your ass in here!" Aunt Mags shrieked from the kitchen disrupting my peaceful Saturday morning.

"What?" I asked, reluctantly removing myself from the couch where I was eating an apple and reading a novel about time travel to go face the dragon.

"Take out the trash." she snarled, waving her bony hand at the garbage can.

"You done told me 'bout three times already..." I put my hands on my hips.

"More like five." she said slamming down her newspaper.

"Well, then I reckon I'm a li'l behind tellin' you to kiss my ass." I said turning on my heel and went through the swinging door back to the couch.

"I refuse. To let you. Talk to me like that. Three months and you'll be of age to get out of my house." her accent was back, whenever she hollered there was always a tinge of Irish. I had grown used to it, so I looked over it. Legally in Texas I can leave the house when I'm seventeen: 79 days.

"I'm counting down the days." I grinned."I'm gonna go to the ranch." and began to put on my boots, if I didn't hurry I'd be late for work.

"Don't expect dinner." Mags snarled as I went back through the kitchen.

"I wouldn't eat that shit anyway." I said pulling my blonde hair into a bun hiding the black tips. Mr. McBride didn't approve of my motley way of dress, and as much as I wanted to tell him to go to hell, I loved the job too much, so I take off my myriad of bracelets, trade my torn jeans for riding breaches, and cover my head with a well worn black Stetson.

"What?" came a screech from the kitchen.

"I'd rather eat the slop the pigs get." I yelled slamming the door. When I got to my jeep (that I paid for, by myself, mind you), I laid on the horn as a final salute to my hellish aunt.

As I pulled up to the ranch, I could see that the horses were already out in the pasture, which meant Billy was already there. Billy is Mr. McBride's oldest son, he helps me out sometimes, and he makes sure to tell me what a big help he is, while he sits on his highly attractive ass and orders me around.

"Good mornin'." he smiled down at me from his buckskin stallion Chipper, named after his favorite baseball player.

"If ya say so." I mutter tipping my hat and getting my saddle from the barn.

"Well ain't we li'l Miss Sunshine today." Billy said as I slammed the saddle on the ground and went back to get the damn bridle that I forgot.

"That's Ms. Sunshine to you buddy, and don't you forget it." I manage to grin as I lead Melange (it's French meaning mix), my painted mare from the pasture and easily saddled her up.

"We need to get Mrs. Fair's bunch ready for the show tomorrow." which meant that I got to wash four horses by myself.

"Ooh, sounds like fun." I said sarcastically checking the girth.

"We need to make sure we have the manes styled the way she likes 'em with them ugly li'l bows in 'em." which meant that I got to stay until 8 o'clock at night and put 'ugly li'l bows' in snobbish horse's tails.

"Sir yes sir." I said morosely as I sprang expertly up on my second home, the saddle.

FLASHBACK

"Hey! Get over here." Billy called from the barn. Kat looked over, she was filling up water barrels across the pasture, it was the last thing that she had to do before she went home, it was already dusk. She sighed, turned off the hose, and sprang up on her horse to abide Billy's orders, (who was she kidding, she'd go to the moon and back for him, as any 13 year old girl would for the handsome 19 year old). When she got to the barn Billy was leaning against the door with his arms crossed. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Wha?" she asked.

"Get down." he said. She didn't question him, so she took her right foot out of the stirrup and swung it around and placed it on the ground. She felt firm hand grip her around the waist and pull her other foot out of the triangular piece of leather.

"Billy! What do ya–." her outcry was cut off my his mouth covering hers, he tasted like whiskey. He was holding her as a groom would hold a bride over the threshold of their new home.

"You want this don't you?." he said huskily into her hear, it wasn't a question, it was a statement. He continued to kiss her, Kat was still, she was confused on what to do. She'd had two boyfriends, but it was just as immature as holding hands in the hallway, they had never kissed her with such hunger as Billy was now. She tried in vain to push away from him, but he was holding her close to his chest.

"Billy. Stop! No!" her mind started to clear. She tried again to push away but his large arms help her tighter to his tall thick body. "I said stop it dammit!" she said as she elbowed him hard in the chest.

"Oh, you like it rough do you?" he grunted and bit her ear. Kat gasped at the pain and flailed her legs to try to get down, but he just held tighter.

"Stop it Billy!" he paid no mind to her and started to unbutton her shirt, she screamed but there was no on there to hear her.

Tears of turmoil welled in my eyes as I thought of that night. I had gotten over the fact that I was almost raped, but that will never happen to be again. No man will ever touch me. Ever. I was not going to be hurt again. To me, love doesn't exist, it was just hormones that attracted females to males like magnets to each other, and then after it was over they moved on.

By the time I had gotten all of Mrs. Fair's show horses exercised, groomed, and styled, I was about to fall over from exhaustion. Billy had conveniently disappeared with one of his many girls before I had even got the first giddy sorrel mare into the washing area.

I looked up through the darkness into the brilliantly lit main house of Mr. McBride and saw the curtain twitch and be straightened. Someone had been watching me. I glanced down at my (now torn) breaches that clung tightly to me from the water and my white undershirt (now see through). This even made me feel self-conscious, I made for the barn where I had an extra shirt. But I never made it.

I was soaring over the hills, beautiful green country side flew by as I held tightly onto a great eagle. We made our way passed hills and to a jagged coastline, I could barely make it out in the darkness of the sky. A huge rickety house, large enough to be a hotel perched lopsidedly off a particularly large rock. The eagle descended gracefully, it's beautiful plumage rippling in the breeze. The bird landed with a sudden jolt, I dismounted and wandered through the creaking door. My boots made no footprints as I made my way to the only light that I saw in the darkened room. A flickering candle held by an unseen force illuminated a tall man in a cloak through a slit in the doorway.

"I have found it my Lord." a greasy hooked nose protruded through the hood of the cloak. It was the same big nosed man that killed my mother. A surge of anger coursed through me, but I still payed attention to the conversation between the murderer and his "lord".

"Excellent. Can you brew it?" came an eerie high pitched voice from somewhere within the room. A sharp intake of breath came from somewhere behind me. I whirled around petrified. A tall lean handsome guy (I don't say boy, because he was NOT a boy anymore, he was clearly almost an adult) with blazing green eyes, glasses and messy jet black hair stared back at me with just as much fear and shock. He pressed a finger up to his lips and peered deeper into the room to hear the conversation. He silenced me with his finger, as if he knew I would be here. I was now very very confused, and I would soon become more befuddled and I listened to the conversation.

"... very complicated my Lord."

"That has never stopped you before." hissed the reply.

"No sir, but..."

"There will be no buts you scrounging bit of filth, you will make this potion for your Lord Voldemort or you will have death. Is this understood Severus? You have already used up the one chance that I usually give to my servants. You're wheedling away at your very rare second one. " he took a breath to steady himself. "The girl is now doubly important."

"Yes my Lord. I understand"

"Good, now I want it done before the new year, it will be the year of triumph. By the millennium the world will be at my feet." the guy beside me tensed up and was almost shaking (in rage I reckon, I don't think he was scared).

"Very good my Lord, but there will be one major complication."

"What?"

"I will need her blood..."

"What?"

"Yes my Lord, but you haven't her location."

"Yet." he said raising an eyebrow

"What do you mean my Lord?"

"I haven't yet," came the soft reply. I looked into the green eye's face, it was rapt with attention; every inch trying to listen to what these men were talking about. I had not a clue, I needed to talk to him, it was amazing that I had kept my head for so long.

"Hey." I put my hand on his arm. At the exact same time I heard a cackle of laughter, next, pain obliterated my head and he disappeared through my fingers, but not before I managed to scratch the hell out of him.

I awoke wet, with Mr. McBride standing over me with an empty bucket and gazing down worriedly at me.

Harry sat bolt upright grasping his scar with one hand and his bleeding arm with the other. He leaped out of bed and ran to Hedwig's cage. It was empty. Unperturbed he bounded over to the window, and leaned out into the dark, starlit night. A low shrill whistle emitted from his lips, he had formed this type of communication over the summer in case he needed to get in touch with the Order immediately. The soft flutter of wings broke the silence of the night (besides the thunderous snoring of the Dursley's).

"Good girl Hedwig." he whispered stroking her soft plumage ignoring the dead vole that was hanging limply from her beak. She hooted softly, dropped her dinner and began eating it.

"Eat fast you need to take this to Lupin." Harry said indicating the parchment that he was scribbling furiously on.

Dear Lupin,

I just had a vision. I'm sure it's real. The girl was there. Check on Snape, I'm not sure if he was hurt or not but he was passing information to Voldemort. Something about a potion, and Voldemort wanting the girl, he said that she doubly important now. What does this mean? Please write back soon. If its alright can I go on and tell Ron and Hermione? Will the Order be notified?

Harry

Dear Harry,

The Order was notified immediately, I am coming to Ms. Figg's house by way of Floo. If at all possible, go there tomorrow. If you have not already, record your vision down on parchment.

The next issue to be addressed is the girl. I have a feeling she is going to be in your dreams much more if you don't practice your Occlumency more often.

Although, if you had used it to block her out, Snape would not have been found. He is doing well now.

Yes, you may tell Ron and Hermione, though it's still in the upmost secrecy.

In other news, I know your birthday is in a week. McGonagall arranged that since you will be turning seventeen and will be of age, and the wards will expire you may move into one of your estates. Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, or your parent's ancient property of Godric's Hollow. I advise Grimmauld Place, I know that there are probably some memories there, but I reckon it's the safest, for everyone.

Best Wishes,

Remus Lupin

Harry rolled up the parchment absent mildly, Grimmauld Place, he didn't want to go back there. But if it was safe, for everyone... what did he mean by that? Then it clicked. Ron and Hermione. They would be coming too. He pulled out some parchment and addressed two letters to his friends, asking them if they knew and news about going to Grimmauld Place. Though he didn't mention the girl, he'd kept that between Lupin and himself, but he had a feeling McGonagall knew also. He didn't want any scoffs (Hermione), or details of how good she looked (Ron), which in Harry's opinion was rather good. He could picture her clearly in his mind at all times, he wondered if she thought about him. They didn't know each other, but through their subconscious they'd met almost daily via dreams, for the past two weeks. It wasn't always something to do with Voldemort now. That's how it began but now he began having dreams about her in her daily life, one about her levitating a teacher's toupee over his head in anger, another of her sitting in an empty classroom with a beautiful teacher sipping tea and chatting in French, and another one, his personal favorite, of her riding horses.

Harry scratched his forehead where his scar still ached, then looked down at his arm, which had stopped bleeding but still was sore to the touch. He wondered how it was that she was able to touch him. The only conclusion that he could come to was that they were having the same dreams at the same time and they were somehow in the same stage of subconsciousness so that they could interact. He shook his head in disgust - he was thinking entirely too much about it. Intensive thinking was left to Hermione. Then even as he thought her name a smile came to his lips. He would see her, and Ron of course, in less than a week. It's not like they didn't see each other at the Bill/Fleur wedding, but it would be different this time. But Ron and Hermione. Together. Harry wrinkled his nose at the though of them. It just didn't seem right. It seemed unnatural. He decided to lay down, he knew he wouldn't sleep much but, sleep would make the time go by faster than just sitting and thinking.