The Marauders and The Untold Stories

by marauderslove4ever

A sequel to The Marauders and the Time Travelling Potterhead. The first wizarding war ends. Voldemort is gone (for now). Harry Potter is the Boy Who Lived. There are many untold stories and secrets about the downfall of Voldemort, and the Order of the Phoenix chose to keep everything a secret. If you haven't read the first book, please read it first to understand this better.

17. He Wants You

*Third Person's POV*

"Morning," Kitty walked into the kitchen.
"Moooornin," James and Lily sang.
They were having breakfast.
"Where's the dog and the furry rabbit?" She asked.
"They must be still in bed. We've got time," James said looking at the clock.
Tinky quickly set a bowl of fruits, eggs, toast and milk before Kitty.
"Thank you, Tinky," Kitty smiled.
Tinky smiled and hopped away.
"Are you on a diet?" James asked.
"I'm eating healthy," Kitty smiled.
After a moment, Tinky came back and handed Kitty a wad of letters.
"What..."
"It is miss' mail," Tinky answered for her.
"All?"
Tinky nodded.
"Who'd send me mail?" Kitty looked at James and Lily confused.
"It might be congratulatory mail," James pointed at the Prophet on the table.
"Like we predicted, Skeeter was careful this time," Lily smirked. "The story made the last page. It would have been better if she hadn't written about your college."
"She wrote about it? I should have shut my mouth. I was angry then. Ah, it doesn't sound good."
"It's alright. Some wizards choose different paths," Lily shrugged.
Kitty quickly finished her breakfast and started opening her mail.
"Woah!" She exclaimed.
"What?" Lily asked.
"I... I don't think this is some congratulatory mail," she replied reading the letters in her hands. "They're hate mail," she looked at them.
"What?!" Lily and James asked.
"I don't think all of them are though," she said putting down another letter. "But..."
"Hate mail?" James asked in disbelief.
" 'Go back to where you came from!' 'You don't belong here!' 'Gold digger!' Blah blah blah," Kitty said crumpling the letters she read. "Oh this is congratulatory."
"Woah! What's going on?" Remus asked as he and Sirius walked in.
Tinky quickly set their breakfast.
Remus took his seat beside her.
"Hate mail and congratulatory mail," Kitty shrugged picking up another letter. "This looks...a bit heavy for a letter."
"DON'T!" Remus shouted. But he was late.
SPLAAAT!
"Aaaaahhhhh!" Kitty screamed.
Yellowish-green liquid smelling strongly of petrol splatted over hands, neck and chest.
"It...smells... like... Bubotuber pus," he finished with a pained look.
Silence filled the room.
"Miss Kitty!" Tinky gasped.
"Oooowww," she tried to rub off the pus with a napkin. "No. No. No. No. No."
Her neck, chest and hands were now so thickly covered in painful sores.
Sirius burst out laughing. "Looks like you have a third boob!"
"Shut up!," Lily smacked him on his head. "I'll get something!" she jumped to her feet to get potions.
Kitty's hands looked like she was wearing a pair of thick knobbly gloves. She looked like she had triple chin and like Sirius said, a third boob which grew right at her cleavage.
She tried to cover her abnormal chin and chest with her large hands.
Sirius continued laughing. "We should take a picture."
"PADFOOT!" James and Remus glared at him.
Kitty pouted. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
He stopped laughing.
"It hurts," she said quietly, wiping tears with her large palms.
"Sorry," Sirius said, quickly getting to his feet and pulling out his wand. He walked over to her and took her hand in his.
She angrily pulled her hand away from him. "I don't need your help. You should keep laughing," she said, pushing him aside and ran out of the kitchen.
"Wha..." He looked confused.
"Could you be any more pathetic?" Remus scowled. "And you," he turned to James, who looked confused all this time. "What are you doing sitting there? You know I'm rubbish at healing spells."
James opened and closed his mouth. "I... I still did not get wha..what just happened?" He looked at the letters on the table. "Why would they send such things?"
"Ummm... Let me think... One. She is an outsider. Two. You are the Potters, one of the richest and famous families in Britain," Sirius ticked off in the air.
"Let's open the rest of the letters," James said, taking one in his hands.
"But they are her's," Remus said.
"She is my sister and you've seen what happened," he replied. He read the letter. "This is good," he put it aside and picked another one.
"Moony, you should take one too," Sirius said taking a letter. "You love reading anyway."
"Reading books," Remus rolled his eyes. But he took one too.
They read each and every letter, putting aside the good ones and burning away the hate mail.
"Bad!"
"Good."
"Woah! Lot of hate. Your name's in it," James tossed it at Sirius.
Sirius read it. "My fans I guess," he burned it.
"Decent."
"Padfoot, you could learn some swear words from here," Remus tossed over another letter to Sirius.
"Creative," Sirius nodded and burned it off.
"Good."
"Wow. This one says she might have used the imperius curse on the family."
"People are very imaginative."
"Good."
"Good."
"Racist."
"Street artist? Stay on the streets, you filthy bitch! Wow. Sounds like my charming mother."
"Bad."
"This one says if she wore some more gold, she would've looked like Cleopatra," Remus laughed.
"Yeah," Sirius frowned, thinking. "That's what I thought when I saw her walking down the stairs. She did look like one with all that... goldish look on her. The make up, the cloak and everything. I thought I told her. No... I did not. Because—"
"Because you were busy touching her inappropriately," James smacked him on his head.
"Ow! It was an accident. Wait, this letter looks long," he said opening one. "Dear Katherine, Good morning. I hope you slept well as you kept your ego safe and unhurt like you said. I had a great time last night. I hope you did too—"
"Who's that from?" Remus asked.
Sirius turned it over to see. "Jacob Dearborn," he muttered.
"Don't read," Remus said. "It's her personal thing."
"Keep it aside," James said.
"Ok. Hate mail," Sirius nodded and crumpled it to burn it.
"PADFOOT!" James and Remus yelled at once.
"What?!" Sirius looked innocently.
"I meant reseal it," James sighed.
Remus took the crumpled letter from him.
Sirius scowled.
"Why do you hate him?" Remus asked.
"I don't!"
"Then why did you send Skeeter to them last night?"
"And you intentionally talked about the 'staircase accident' when they were together," James added.
"That was nothing," Sirius waved his hand dismissively. "I was just kidding. You know I like messing around with her."
"Something tells me it's a different story," James said with a cocky grin.
"Is it because you...like her?" Remus smirked.
"Wha... what?! No! You both are off your rocker!"
"When did it start? The first time you kissed her?" James asked.
"What?" Sirius looked around startled.
"Wait. What?!" Remus looked bewildered.
"Oh! He didn't tell you yet?"
"Prongs, shut up!"
"Tell me what? What are you hiding from me?"
"Oh! This is interesting. I've been keeping it in all these days! I have to let it out!"
"Prongs, I'm going to shove my foot up your arse if you don't shut up!"
"Tell me everything," Remus leaned in.
"Prongs no!"
"Prongs yes! He kissed her!" James laughed.
"You what?!" Remus looked at Sirius amused.
"No. No. Not that kiss you're thinking..." Sirius shook his head nervously, looking around.
"Why didn't she tell me?" Remus looked more surprised.
"Because she didn't know it either!" James laughed.
"WHAT?!"
"Shhhh...they might come any moment," Sirius said looking nervous.
"She didn't know?" Remus asked confused.
"Yes. Do you remember that night when Marlene did some shit with her dreamless sleep potion?" James asked.
"Yes," Remus nodded.

James told him what happened that night and how he found them both tangled in bed the next morning.

"Wow! You hid this from me!" Remus turned to Sirius.
He had his face in his hands.
"You were supposed to confront and ask her about it, right?" James turned to Sirius.
"Ask what?" Sirius grumbled.
"About why she said your name in her sleep and if she fancies you or not?"
"I... I... I asked her," Sirius stuttered.
"You did?"
"When?"
"Many times! Every time I asked her if she fancies me, she always told me to go look in the mirror."
"That, you do all time. Did you confront her especially about that night?"
James and Remus were having fun of their lives. Sirius looked totally nervous and annoyed.
Sirius scowled at them. "No."
"Why not?"
"I can't believe you kissed her!" Remus smirked.
"Hey, it was just a kiss on the neck! I did not kiss her like you did!" Sirius shot a glare at him.
"That...that was accidental!" Remus said.
Sirius scoffed. "Accidental?"
"We were drunk and out of our minds!" Remus defended himself. "Besides, we both knew what happened. We made peace. But you didn't. Come to think of it, how many times did this happen?"
"Wha... whatt? What do you mean how many times? Just once!"
James and Remus gasped. "Liar!" They both shouted, shocked.
"Just once!" Sirius said again.
"You stuttered."
"And fiddling with your hands."
"Look me in the eye and tell me the truth!"
"Once."
"Padfoot!" They both pressed.
Sirius groaned. "Twice," he groaned.
James and Remus gasped.
"On the forehead," Sirius whispered.
"When?"
"Her birthday. She looked sweet when she was sleeping."
"Don't deny. You are a somnophile," Remus said.
"I am not!"
"You like her," James smirked.
"I don't."
"Deny all you want. And don't come to us whining when she starts going out with this bloke," Remus waved Jacob's letter.
Sirius scoffed. "You imagine a lot. It was just a moment. Stop talking shit."
"Uh-huh? Okay. Then why don't you confront her then? And tell her what actually happened that night?"
"I told you. It was just a moment. The first time, I had sex with Marlene and came to her. And the second time, on her birthday, I was drunk," Sirius defended himself.
"Fine! Calm your titties!" Remus smirked.
"Why don't you be a good boy and give this letter to her?" James said with a cocky grin.
Sirius glared at him.
"What?" James asked innocently.
"Fine. Give it," Sirius snatched it from him.
"Oh! Make it neat and sealed," Remus added. "You don't want her asking you why her letter was crumpled, do you?"
Sirius scoffed and stomped out of the kitchen.
James and Remus looked at each other with identical grins.
"We were right," Remus said.
"When are we ever wrong?" James smirked.
"Oh, what is he going to do?"
"This is getting interesting."
"Why is Sirius grumpier than usual?" Peter walked in.
"His knickers are in a twist," Remus replied returning back to his breakfast.

xxx

"Oh, no!" Remus groaned.
"What?" Kitty asked.
"Sugar. We're out of sugar and milk."
Kitty and Remus were walking back to the boys' flat after some grocery shopping.
She got her sores treated and spent the evening with Remus.
"I'll take these to the flat. You go and get them."
"They're heavy."
"It's okay. I carried heavier things." She took the bags from Remus.
"I'll be quick," Remus turned back and began to run.
"No probs. Take your time!" She called after him. She adjusted the bags and made way to their flat.
"I will take my time. And you better utilize it," he smirked.
He did it on purpose.
Sirius was in the flat and Remus wanted to see how things would go if these two were left alone together.
Kitty, oblivious to this, slowly made her way to the flat carrying the bags. "Ah. Why are they heavy? These bags are weak," she muttered under her breath. She got into the lift and sighed.
The building was four storeyed, with two flats in each storey.
Sirius' double bedroom flat was on the top floor. It was big enough for the boys to live in. It was spacious and well ventilated. The boys' favourite spot was the little balcony.
"Few more steps and you can stretch yourself," she told herself. She took out the key, opened the door and walked in. And stopped dead in her tracks.
Sirius was on the couch. With a woman. And they were kissing.
Sirius heard the door open and close. "Moony, don't bother—" He stopped when he saw her. "Oh! Pryde." He felt a tug in his chest.
He had lip stamps all over his face and neck. His hair was messy.
"Black," she gave a curt nod and smiled. "Carry on. I'm just here to drop the groceries," she said putting down the bags and walked out quickly.
Sirius pushed away the thought of going after her and continued kissing her new girlfriend.

xxx

"Back to Earth," Remus tapped on her shoulder.
She looked at him and smiled.
He knew something was wrong. "What are you doing here?"
"It took you too long to get sugar and milk."
"Uh... I met someone I knew and..."
"It's okay," she nodded. "Let's go out somewhere."
He looked confused. "Now? You told me you wanted to watch telly."
"Yeah. But Black is busy with his girlfriend. So..."
"Bla... Black what?!"
"He's got a new girlfriend. You didn't know about it?"
"Uh...Ummm... Uhhh... He might... have mentioned that he met someone recently."
"Cool," she nodded. "Wait. Did you...did you send me here on purpose? So that I'd see it?"
"Wha... What? No no no no... I didn't know he brought her home."
"But you knew he's got a new girlfriend?" She raised her eyebrows.
"No. No. He told us he met a girl a couple of days ago. That's all. I didn't know he was seeing her."
She nodded. "Let's go then."
Remus groaned internally. 'This wasn't the plan. Why the hell would you do that you daft arsehole?! Oh, she's hurt! What should I do?'
"Come on! We don't want to be late!" She said walking quickly.
"Late? Are we going somewhere?" Remus followed her.
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Southall."
"Why?"
"To save someone from dying."
"What?! Who?" Remus stopped dead in his tracks, confused.
"I don't remember his name. Sounds like a fruit," she replied without turning to him.
"A fruit? Like apple? Banana? No... Those sound ridiculous... Melon? Berry? Orange?"
She sighed and turned to him. "A young muggle teacher. That's all I know."
"A muggle teacher?" He asked walking over to her. "Does he have anything to do with our world?"
"Why? If he isn't, shouldn't he be saved from dying?"
Remus sighed. "I... I didn't mean it that way. Hey! Why are you pissed at me? I wasn't the one who has a girlfriend. And —"
"You're rubbish at healing spells right?" She cut him off.
He sighed. "I can do minor—"
"We have to pick up someone who is good then. First, let's go to Mungo's."
"Oookaaay. But wait. Southall you say? There...there are riots going on," he frowned.
"Yes."
"But..."
"Are you a racist too?" She turned to him raised her eyebrows.
He sighed. "You clearly know that I'm not."
"Then let's go. We need to be there before 8."
"It's 7 already!"
"Then we don't have much time."
And they both apparated to Mungo's.
She was running along the hallways looking into every room, when she bumped into someone.
"Sorry!"
"I'm sorry!"
All she could see and feel was someone's hard chest and firm hands on her shoulders.
"Katherine?!"
She looked up. "Jacob!"
"What are you doing here?" Jacob asked, looking confused.
"Ah! I've been looking for you!"
"Merlin's beard! Are you alright? What happened to your face?!"
"Do I look that bad?" She frowned, touching her face.
"No. No... I mean. What happened?"
Though the sores were gone, her skin was still red.
"That's a long story. Are you free?" She asked hastily.
"Uh... Yeah! I'll be off in ten minutes."
"No. We don't have time. I... I want you to come with me... If you're okay. I need a healer."
"Uh.. yeah. Sure... I'll go with you. Give me two minutes. Come with me," he replied and walked hastily to his cubicle.
He was confused. But he didn't ask any questions. She came asking for help and he wouldn't say no. She wanted a healer and he was one.
'Found him. Come to his cubicle,' she mind linked Remus.
'Okay,' he replied.
Jacob quickly wrote some memos and sent them flying. "What do we need?" He asked.
"Huh?"
"I need to bring some potions with me. How bad are they injured?"
"Umm... Something for brain hemorrhage or something. Maybe internal bleeding"
"A brain hemorrhage? Is that because of a curse?"
"Ummm... Someone hitting someone..."
Jacob stopped doing everything and turned to her. "Did you get into a fight?"
"No. No no no no... There's this riot going on and a police would hit a guy, and he could die. That's not good."
Jacob blinked. "The ... The police?"
She nodded.
"I'm here," Remus came, panting.
"Are you talking about muggle riots?"
"Yeah. Down in Southall."
"I... I..." he sighed. "Katherine, we aren't supposed to get involved in muggle riots."
"But people might die!"
"I know! But we've got some rules—"
"Fck those rules. You wanna help me save this person or not?"
He hesitated.
She scoffed.
"I —"
"Wait here for a moment," she cut him off and ran out of the room.
Jacob and Remus exchanged glances. Remus sighed and followed her.
Jacob looked around, helpless and frustrated.
Moments later, Kitty came running back with two cups. "Here," she gave Jacob one. "I'm a woman of my word. I promised to have some drinks with you," she clanked her cup with his and then gulped down her drink in one go. "I'll leave then," she said and walked out of the room, leaving Jacob baffled, who kept staring at the cup of water she gave him.

xxx

Remus and Kitty apparated to Southall.
"What's the time?" She asked.
"7:30."
"We might be late," she mumbled.
"You should know one thing. I'm here with you because of two reasons. One, unfortunately we are friends. Two, even if I denied to accompany you, you would have come here anyway."
"I know you love me," she chuckled. "I'll go search for the guy. You look out for the special police or whatever."
"I'll go with you," Remus said as he looked at the large chaotic crowd.
"Remus, they're all Indians out there. So, it's better that I go. Besides, it's easy to find a white guy in that crowd. But the police, they are carrying unauthorized weapons. I can't deal with them."
"Fine," Remus said through gritted teeth as they parted.
It was chaos.
Kitty was totally having a hard time in the sea of protesters. Men were pushing and shouting. And then there were police too.
"What is his name? Why the hell don't I remember his name?" She groaned.
She tried to stop the crowd from going overboard. But she was a woman. And in the Muggle world, no one would listen to a woman. She searched and searched for a white man in the crowd. She couldn't find any.
'Did you find him?' Remus mind-linked her.
'No. All I remember is that he was beaten and found unconscious on the street. And another guy fell in coma,' she replied.
'On the street?'
'Yeah. Side street or whatever.'
'Then you're searching for him at the wrong place.'
'Eh?'
'Side street. Search there.'
'You found the special police?'
'They're everywhere. Let's search the streets. Don't use magic.'
'Okay.'
She swam out of the crowd and kept running. She saw some asians getting beaten up. She wanted to help. But she moved on. She saw the special police. She knew it wasn't a good thing. She kept searching. And then she saw a group of police.
"Are they the special police?" she frowned. They were shouting obscenities and racial slurs.
Few people were around, but they were all busy shouting and fighting the police. She quickly ran over them as she saw a white man on the side walk.
"Hey!" She shouted. "Get away from him!"
"Looks like the brown bitch need one too," one of the police said with a crooked grin.
"Get away from him," she said, pushing them and crouching down on the ground beside the man. "Are you alright?"
"It hurts," he said clutching his hair and fell unconscious.
'Found them,' she mind-linked Remus. 'It's junction of Beachcroft Avenue and Orchard Avenue.'
'I'm coming. Get away from there. We are in trouble,' Remus replied in panic.
'What trouble?' she asked. 'Remu—'
She was cut off when someone grabbed her by the hair.
"What the fck!" She tried to pull herself free from the strong grip. "Let go!"
The men laughed.
"Don't. Touch. Me. When. I'm. Furious," she said through gritted teeth. Though she couldn't see the man's face, she delivered a hard punch on his man parts in the second try. "Especially without my permission!"
He howled in pain and let go off her.
She kicked him on his face.
And then everything happened so quick. Things turned violent.
She activated her knuckle duster and, threw few punches and kicks. She knew she could only hurt them a little as she was no match with the six burly police men.
One of them hit her on the head with a truncheon.
She screamed in pain. And she was hit again. She fell to the ground on her knees, clutching her head. She couldn't feel anything around her.
Someone grabbed her by the collar.
"Let me see those pretty eyes now," said a gruff voice.
She couldn't see who it was as her vision was cloudy and her eyes, misty.
'I lost there. I don't wanna lose here too. Especially to a man,' was the only thought that ran in her mind. And in a swift moment, she did what she could do. She whipped her hand across his face.
She heard him scream in agony.
Though her vision was blurry, she knew she had accomplished her task.
"I told you not to touch me," she growled.
She saw flashes of light, and loud bangs. Her head hurt.
"Katherine!" She heard a concerned voice in her ears and felt a pair of strong arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer, right before she fell unconscious.

xxxx

*My POV*

I woke up feeling awful. The moment I stirred, I realized that every cell in my body was burning and aching. My nose caught disgusting smells. I slowly opened my eyes, and they hurt like hell. I couldn't see anything. It was almost dark and totally blurry. I touched my face and eyes. It was a bit sore.
I groaned in pain.
"You're awake?" I heard a voice.
"I can't see," came out my raspy voice.
"I know," he replied.
"Wait. Where am I? Who are you? Did...did you kidnap me?" I asked, hiding the panic that rose in me. I tried to move, but I felt like someone dropped a boulder on me. I groaned.
"Please don't move," he said again.
"Who. Are. You?"
"Please calm down and tell me who you are."
"Oh, if only I had my proper eyesight. You'd be on the floor, bleeding." I touched my fingers and found my rings missing.
"Your rings and wand are safe."
"What the... Stay away from me," I moved back.
"Katherine," he said calmly.
I froze. "You... You know me?"
"Katherine, I —"
"Wait. I heard your voice before," I frowned. "Katherine? Katherine? Who calls me... Call me again."
"Katherine."
"Jacob?"
I heard him sigh. "Finally. Here, drink this," he put a goblet in my hand.
I scoffed. "Really? You want me to drink this?" I threw the goblet across the room. "How did you even dream that I'd believe you? How can I be sure that you are the real Jacob?"
"Don't you think it is a bit foolish for a person who is unarmed and half blind to talk to someone like this?"
"Just close your eyes and think what you're doing right now. Don't you realize you are... A filthy coward?"
"You could be punished if you keep talking like that."
"Yeah, right. And I'd still call you a stinking coward."
He chuckled. "Alright. I'm Jacob Dearborn. You call me Ken. And we first met at Mungo's. Then in Diagon Alley. And the third time after a dementor attack. I asked you out that evening for a coffee. You told me you're not a coffee person. So I told you it could be any beverage. And you agreed. The next day you visited me at Mungo's and invited me to the official Potter meeting—"
"Tell me something that no one else knows," I cut him off. "All these things happened in the presence of other people."
He sighed. "I gave you a bouquet of chocolates. And you came to see me, asking for help, minutes before you got into trouble."
"Oh. Okay," I nodded. "Am...am I in Mungo's?" I looked around with half blind eyes. I couldn't see a thing. I sniffed. "It doesn't smell like Mungo's. Why can't I see? It's annoying—"
"Will you just calm down for a moment and let me work?"
"Fine."
"But first, drink some water."
"Not until I see what I'm drinking."
"You still don't trust me?"
"I don't eat or drink anything that I can't see."
He sighed. "Keep your eyes open. And don't move."
I nodded.
His voice was closer. And I felt him sit in front of me. He touched my face. His fingers were soft. I could feel him closer to me, examining my eyes.
"It's strange."
"Hmmm?"
"Your physiology."
I nodded.
"Why is your physiology different?"
I shrugged.
"I've never heard that seers have different physiologies."
I froze. And blinked.
"Ah. Alice told me," he chuckled.
I nodded.
"Eyedrops. Lift up your head a little."
And I did. My eyes stung the moment the eyedrops touched my retina.
"Ooowwww!"
"Might sting a bit," he said calmly.
I groaned.
"I should have told you before. Don't rub!"
I bit my lip and clutched my head. It felt like there was fire in my eyes.
"You could see in ten seconds. You took hard blows on your head. There are few complicated internal injuries..."
I opened my eyes and blinked a couple of times.
"Can you see?" He asked looking into my eyes.
He was so close, I just stared at him.
"Not completely healed," he frowned. "It might take time. How many?" He waved three fingers.
"Th... three," I mumbled.
"Good," he smiled.
I blinked.
"You look surprised," he chuckled. "I'll get you some water," he said, waving his wand.
I looked around, then at him and then at myself. An oversized T-shirt and pajamas. I wasn't in these clothes last time. These aren't even my clothes.
I quickly mind-linked Remus. 'Remus, you bitch!'
'Woah! Hello to you too!'
'How could you let this happen?!'
'Happen what? You chose it! I just followed you.'
'Andwae... eotteokhae eotteokhae?!'
'Thukey what?'
"Here," Jacob gave me another glass of water that magically flew from across the room.
He wasn't wearing a shirt. He was in his pajamas. And he looked totally different. He looked... Sexy? Hot? Healer robes really hide his body. I shook my head.
"I think I might have got drunk and had a one night stand with Jacob Dearborn."
"Pardon?" Jacob blinked.
'What?!' Remus asked confused.
"What?" I blinked.
Jacob looked at me, confused.
"Oh! I said that aloud," I mumbled.
"What?" They both asked again.
I looked around. I was in a bed.
I cut off the link with Remus and gulped down the glass of water and looked at him, horrified.
"Did... Did something happen... between us?"
"What?!" He asked shocked.
"Did...did something happen between us? What is this place? Why am I in this bed? Why are you shirtless? And these aren't my clothes!" I quickly got off the bed and dizziness hit me hard.
"Careful!" Jacob quickly caught hold of me. "Wow! Andromeda was right. You do have wild imaginations," he laughed.
I looked at him, confused.
"Sit. I'll explain. You are burning."
I sat. Confusion and panic was all over. I averted my eyes from him. Suddenly, the fly on the window sill looked more interesting.
"This is my place," he smiled. "I —"
The door bell rang.
"Stay here," he said and walked out of the room.
"His place?" I looked around. "But why am I here?"
Just then, Jacob walked in along with James.
"Are you alright?" James asked, looking concerned.
I shook my head. "What happened?"
"Don't you remember anything?"
I frowned, thinking. "I... I got into a fight. Omo!" I snapped my head at them. "The guy! What happened to him?"
"You're worried about him when you should be worrying about yourself?" James snapped at me.
"I..."
"If it wasn't for Jacob, you could have DIED!" James shouted. He was fuming.
I looked at Jacob. He was leaning on the door, staring at me with a straight face.
"OR WORSE! TAKEN BY THEM!" James added.
"Taken?" I looked at him confused.
"You didn't tell her?" James asked Jacob.
"I was about to," Jacob replied.
They both turned to me.
"It seems like they came for you," James said looking me straight in the eye.
"Wha...what? Came for me? Who?"
They both stared.
"What?! Death eaters?! No way!"
"The men who attacked you were under the imperius curse," Jacob said.
I raised my eyebrows.
"Do you remember anything?" James asked.
I frowned. "I got into a fight. I found the guy. I was trying to save him but the police... One of them grabbed me by my hair and I hit him and everything turned messy. What...what actually happened? Wait," I turned to Jacob. "You saved me? Why were you even there? You told me you don't want to get involved in Muggle riots, and follow the rules and all?"

xxxxxx

*Jacob's POV*

"We'll, I came to tell you that water isn't a beverage," I smiled.
"Eh?" They both looked at me, confused.
"I mean, earlier when you came to see me, you gave me a cup of water and told me that was the drink we've been waiting to have. And I came to tell you that water is not a beverage."
She rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"
I chuckled. "Honestly, I was worried."
They both blinked.
"I was worried about you." Why the hell do I feel flustered? "I did not tell you that I don't want to get involved in Muggle riots. I told you we, wizards can't."
"He's right. We aren't supposed to involve. If we do, we'd have to go through an awful and tiring investigation," James told her.
"But... But what's wrong in trying to help...no...save people?"
"That's what I believed in and ignored the rules, a couple of times. And I was warned by the authorities that I'd be charged with violation of law and statue of secrecy. That was why I was reluctant. " I told her.
"Oh... I'm... I'm sorry... I really am. I got you into trouble," she said with a pained look. "Umm... I know this is totally out of the topic. But... can you please wear a shirt? It's distracting."
James growled and I laughed.
"Apparently, someone slashed open my skin with a magical knife. I can't wear a shirt right now," I smiled.
"Woah! Who is that?"
I raised my eyebrows.
"M...me? I'm sorry. I... I should have been careful with the knife."
"It's okay. You were losing your consciousness and thought I was one of the attackers," I shrugged.
"I really am sorry. I hurt you, and also got you into trouble."
"Not really," I shook my head, smiling. "We are all lucky this time."
"Huh?"
"Because the death eaters were involved and you were attacked by muggles under imperius curse. So, it's not totally a muggle deal," James shrugged.
"Oh," she nodded.
"It must have hurt you like hell. I'm really sorry."
"I'm alright. Oh, by the way, what about the ones you've taken?" I asked James.
"Worse," James smirked. "The cuts were too deep."
"What? Who?" She asked.
"You slit open a death eater's throat and stabbed another one."
She just blinked. "I... I did? I was trying to protect myself. I thought they were muggles."
"About that... You hurt one of them too,"
"How... how are they?" She asked concerned. "Are they..."
"No, they are not dead," James sighed.
She sighed in relief. "What...what actually happened?"

XX *Earlier* XX

"Don't you ever listen to anyone...completely?" I muttered under my breath as I saw her walk out of the room. "I am warned not to involve in muggle issues... My job will be on the line," I groaned. "And water is not a beverage!"
"Woah! Someone annoyed Dearborn," a heard a voice and turned back to see.
"Andromeda," I sighed.
"I suppose it's Katherine?" She asked looking clearly amused.
"Have you been here all this time?"
She chuckled. "Oh, she put you in a tight spot, didn't she? She is quite... stubborn, reckless and... impatient. Sometimes she could be annoying too. I sometimes really wonder how a stubborn rock like you was easily moved by her."
"Ah... Don't get me started on that," I groaned.
She laughed. "But she's really a good person. Selfless and caring. Is that why you like her?"
"What should I do?"
"Do what you have to do. Do what is right," she shrugged.
'But people might die!' her voice echoed in my head.
"Uuggh... I hope I don't regret this," I gulped down the water, took the potions and ran out of the room. When I reached the apparition point, I apparated to Southhall.
It was chaos. There were about a thousand people.
"Merlin's pants! How am I going to find you?" I looked around confused. "I know there's only one way. Search. Search for you in the sea of South Asians fighting the police. It isn't a hard job. No."
After Merlin knows how long of running and searching, I came to an almost deserted place and slumped down on the pavement, panting. Then I heard a woman screaming. I quickly got up and followed the screams.
Few men were beating up a woman. She was on her knees. I couldn't see her face.
"Hey! Stop!"
But suddenly, the man screamed in pain.
"I told you not to touch me," she growled. And she whipped her hand wildly.
"Katherine?!"
She was on the ground. Her face was bloody. And she kept whipping her hand wildly, hurting anyone who touched her.
The man who first screamed in pain quickly pointed something at her. A wand.
"Katherine!" I ran towards her.
A hex flew past me and hit him. I turned to see Lupin running towards her.
Flashes of hexes and curses filled the air. We weren't alone. We knew who they were. In no time, Lupin and I were duelling four death eaters.
"Fancy seeing you here," someone joined us.
"Patil?!" I was surprised.
"Dearborn," he smiled.
More death eaters joined us.
Lupin, Patil and I were duelling back to back.
"Get her!" One of them shouted. "Take her and leave."
I saw a death eater running towards her, and quickly hit him with a curse.
"She's not yours to take," I send another hex towards another one.
I ran over to her and took her in my arms. "Katherine?"
I felt a sharp pain on my back. And she fell unconscious in my arms. My shirt started getting wet.
In the blink of an eye, I disapparated with her in my arms.

I quickly lay her on the couch. We both were covered in blood. I felt my back tearing with every movement.
"Katherine? Katherine? Can you hear me?"
No response.
I waved my wand and scanned her body.
I quickly made a floo call.
"HELLO!" I called.
The intern, who was standing near the fireplace, jumped startled.
"Mr. Dearborn?" Her eyes widened. "What happened to you? Are you alright?"
"Get healer Tonks. It is an emergency!"
"Yes, sir!" Turner ran out of the room and came back with a harassed looking Andromeda, after a few moments.
"What's wrong? Why are you covered in blood?" Andromeda kneeled closer.
"It's Katherine! She is injured," I said urgently.
"I can't come. They just brought in some injured people!"
"I need to know her medical record then."
We both looked at Turner, who was looking at us curiously.
"Give us a minute," Andromeda told her and she walked out of the room, frowning.
"Okay. Tell me the details."
"Multiple fractures on her shoulder, brain hemorrhage and stab in the stomach."
"Oh that's bad. I shouldn't reveal my patients' record to anyone. Especially her's. But this is real emergency. Though she is anaemic, do not give her too much of blood replenishing potions. Her fever goes up. Her body doesn't accept it."
"What?!"
"I know. I was confused too. Dreamless sleep potions or sedatives... High dosage. The normal doesn't work."
"What?!"
"I know. Oh! It's better if you keep your wand close."
"Uh... okay."
"No. You don't understand. She... She's got some wild imaginations. She might not remember you or anything, the moment she wakes up. She might panic and could hurt you."
"What?"
"I know. This is all confusing and weird. But be careful."
"Okay."
"Where are you?"
"Home."
"I'll send Potter."
"Thanks," I nodded and took out my head from the fireplace. "Weird."
The first thing I did was to take off her charmed rings and the wand, and kept them aside. I quickly grabbed the potions I had, from my cupboard and started working on her.
"Katherine, I'm sorry. But I really have to take your shirt off," I mumbled and took off her shirt.
I cleaned up all the blood. I forced potions down her throat.
Moments later, I heard the doorbell ring.
It was Lily Potter. She came with more potions.
She was a great help. She knew her medication record and and we both fixed her.
"Oh, she's dead when she wakes up," she muttered under her breath. "She was supposed to stay home and watch telly with the boys."
I felt dizzy and staggered.
"Dearborn!" Lily gasped. "What happened? Merlin! You are hurt!"
"Can you take a look at it?"
"Yeah," she helped me sit down. "Can you take your shirt off?"
I slowly took off my shirt.
She gasped. "That's a deep cut. Was it... Was it a curse?"
I shook my head. "A knife," I looked at Katherine.
"She...she did it?!"
"She might have thought I was an attacker."
"Oh."
Lily cleaned up the wound. "I... I think this wouldn't heal easily. That knife was charmed."
I nodded, gulping down my blood replenishing potion.
"I did what I could. I'll go and get some dittany. I think it's better not to cover it. Let it be exposed to air."
I nodded.
"I'll get her some clothes too. She wouldn't be happy when she wakes up and finds herself half naked."
I chuckled.
"I'll let the others know that she's here. You take some rest," she smiled.
Like everyone says, Lily is a warm person.
I locked the door after she left.
I lay on my stomach on the carpet and looked at her, sleeping peacefully.
"Why would a person carry a charmed knife and a knuckle duster? Why didn't you use your wand? Why were the death eaters after you?"
I heard the doorbell ring.
"Who is it?"
"JAY! OPEN THE DAMNED DOOR!"
"What happens when a Hufflepuff marries a Ravenclaw and they have a child?" I asked.
"The child would be a Slytherin because when you mix yellow and blue, you get green!"
I opened the door.
"Alice," I smiled. "Wh—"
"What the friggin hell were you doing in Southall?" She barged in.
"Good to see you too."
"What were you doing in Southall?"
"I—"
There was another knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
"Dearborn, it's James."
"What was the last thing we talked about?"
"My sister, Katherine. You asked me if it's okay to go out with my sister.
I opened the door.
"You asked what?" Alice asked surprised.
"Always being the gentleman," James smiled. "Is she here?"
"Wh—"
I nodded. "Come with me."
Alice gasped. "What happened to you?!"
"That's just a small cut," I waved my hand dismissively.
"It doesn't look like a 'small cut'," Alice raised her eyebrows.
"Did...did she do it?" James asked.
"Just a misunderstanding," I replied.
They followed me.
Alice gasped as she saw the unconscious Katherine on the couch. "She's here? Don't tell me you tagged along with her."
"I did not. Wait. How did you know I was at Southall? Did you tell her?" I asked James.
"We have our ways," Alice replied. "Now, tell me. Did you both go together?"
"No. She came to ask for my help—"
"You clearly know you aren't supposed to involve in muggle issues! It was your last chance!"
"I know! But—"
"No. No. Don't you 'but' me," Alice cut me off.
"I had no choice," I sighed.
"The stars are in your favor. You got lucky because the death eaters were involved. But you have to attend an investigation. You are one of the prime witnesses."
"Thank God," I sighed in relief. "But, James... Earlier, I think they came for her."
"I know," he nodded. "Remus told me. He told me half of the story. What happened actually?"
"Wait. Is he alright?"
"Not even a scratch."
"So, what happened?" Alice asked.

I told them what happened.
"The muggles were under the imperius curse," Alice said.
"What?! And what about the death eaters?"
Alice growled. "They fled. We've got names. But we don't have a proper proof."
"A proof?"
They nodded.
"Umm... Katherine actually defended herself with her knife."
"Yeah. But the injuries would heal in no time," James shrugged.
I shook my head, smiling. "That knife is charmed," I pointed at my back. "It isn't a normal cut."
Their eyes widened.
"So that means..."
"The scar is the proof!" Alice jumped. "I'll get going!"
And then she left.
"I'm sorry about that," James said pointing at my back.
"It's alright."
We heard the doorbell. It was Lily.
She came back with potions and a new pair of clothes.
"I'll change her clothes."
James and I walked into the kitchen.
"It's better to not move her now," I told James.
He nodded.
"She's got multiple fractures, hemorrhage and even got stabbed."
"She didn't take out her wand, you say?"
"No. She thought they were all muggles," I frowned. "Still... She could just stun them and then take care of it later."
"So, she did it on purpose?" James muttered under his breath, which I clearly heard.
"Pardon?"
"Nothing."
"Umm...About the thing we talked about..."
"Huh?"
"Going out with your sister...You haven't given an answer yet. You just... laughed it off."
He scratched his neck. "I mean I didn't know what to say. No one ever asked me that," he laughed. Uh... Do you still want to go out with her?"
"What?" I laughed. "Why wouldn't I? But the question is, will she go out with me? We had a little misunderstanding earlier and—"
"Don't worry about that. Just tell her the reason why you hesitated."
I nodded.
"Alright then, I'll leave her to you. Take care of her. I'll come back later. Oh! Just a caution. She might not be able to remember things and people. Just —"
"I know."
He raised his eyebrows.
"Tonks mentioned that earlier."
He nodded.
And the two Potters left.
I looked around. There were bloodied bandages and clothes. I vanished them with a flick of my wand.
I was left alone with her.
She looked so peaceful. I slowly walked over to her and lifted her up, carried her to my bedroom, and tucked her in bed.
"You're heavier than I thought," I chuckled.
I then cleaned up the bloodied couch. Everything was shiny like before.
I lay in my stomach, on the couch, replaying everything that happened earlier.

An irritating tap on the window woke me up. There was an owl. I took the letter tied to its leg and gave him some treats. The letter was from the ministry, stating that I'd have to appear for investigation tomorrow morning. I put the letter aside and looked at the clock.
"10:50?! Merlin's pants! Wait. She did not wake up yet?" I walked into my bedroom. She was fast asleep. But she didn't look as peaceful as before. She kept mumbling and groaning.
I touched her. She was burning. Her pulse quite was high too.
"Arrgghh... 106? I cannot give you more potions. I have to do it the Muggle way then."
I quickly took the sheets off her, brought some towels and cold water, and put it on her forehead. I waved my wand and gloved her hands and toes in a thin sheet of ice.
She kept groaning and grinding her teeth.
"Katherine? Katherine? Can you hear me? You need to wake up."
She did not.
The towel on her head warmed quickly. And the ice melted. I repeated doing it. I started getting worried. I replaced the bed with a block of ice.
And after few horrifying minutes, her temperature began to drop.
Suddenly, she grabbed my hand and began to shiver. I sighed in relief. I charmed aback everything to normal and dried her. She didn't let go off my hand. She snuggled closer. I couldn't stop smiling. I sat on the bed along with her. After a while, she loosened her grip. I slowly got off the bed. After a tiring day, all I need is a shower.
I had quick hot shower. I wore my pajamas and applied the dittany Lily got for me.
I heard a groan and turned to see her stirring. She winced in pain and tried to open her eyes. She brought up her hands to her face and touched. She groaned again.
"You're awake?" I asked.
"I can't see," she frowned.
"I know."

XX *Now* XX

I told them everything in brief, skipping few things.
"Wow," she whispered. She looked surprised.
"You look surprised," I said.
"I am," she nodded. "Thank you. For everything... I owe you. Big time."
"Well, in that case, let's start again. You owe me a beverage. And that doesn't mean water."
She laughed. "Sorry to storm out like that. I wasn't in my right mind then. I should have realized that you might have a reason. Just tell me the place and time."
"Before that," James interrupted. "You both are supposed to appear for investigation tomorrow morning."
"Joy kill," she rolled her eyes.
James shot a glare at her. "Joy kill? Let's go home and see what happens. You are dead meat."
"Come on! I'm the victim here!"
"You and I need to talk," James said seriously.
She pouted.
"Seriously," he added.
She shrugged in defeat.
"Thanks for everything you did," James looked at me.
"I think I'm starting to hate the words, 'Thank you'," I said.
"Let's meet tomorrow. Drinks on me, mate."
"Then I'm going to order everything expensive."
"I'll be with my pockets full," he smirked. "Oh, by the way. Let's meet for breakfast tomorrow. Dumbledore will be joining us. He wants to have a word."
"Dumbledore?" I asked surprised. "Okay."
"We'll be leaving then."
"See you tomorrow," she smiled nervously. "Thank you and sorry."
I raised my eyebrows.
"Thank you for saving my life and taking care of me. Sorry for getting you into trouble."
"Those were my choices. And I don't regret them."
She smiled. A real one, that actually reached her eyes.
"Just a moment," I said, and pulled out her wand, knife and the knuckle duster from my pocket."
"Oh! I totally forgot! Were you really carrying these with you all this time?" She laughed and took them from me.
She deactivated the knife and the knuckle duster, and they turned back to normal rings.

xxxxxxx

*James' POV*

We both walked out of Dearborn's flat.
"So.. what did mum and dad say?"
I walked without replying.
"You're not going to talk to me?"
No. I walked faster.
"Say something!" She called after me.
I walked silently without turning to her.
"James!"
"Get on," I said, starting Baby.
"Sirius gave you Baby?!"
I didn't reply.
We both rode into the dark night.
"James, I'm sorry. Say something."
I wanted to shout and scream. But I did not utter a single word. I accelerated and pushed a button, and Baby rose into the air. In few moments, we were high in the sky.
"I'm sorry," she said. "Fine. Give me the silent treatment."
We flew for several minutes. I felt her head and hands on my back. She fell asleep.
When our destination arrived, I lowered Baby slowly and touched down.
She woke up. "We aren't home? Where are we?"
When I didn't answer, she took her hands off me. And I felt a knife on my throat.
"Who are you?" She growled.
'Will you stop being a drama queen and take that bloody knife away from me?' I said in her head.
She quickly took it away. "Sorry. I thought you were an imposter. Where are we anyway? Wait. Are we going to Sirius'? We aren't going home?"
We reached his place and I parked Baby in the garage.
"Why are we here? Say something? I said I'm sorry!"
"YOU SHOULD BE SORRY!" I yelled.
She jumped startled.
"You. Should. Be. Sorry!"
"James—"
"Don't you dare say another word. What did you think you were doing? Huh? Going out there all alone?"
"Remus was with me!"
"No he wasn't. You both were together, you wouldn't be in this situation right now!"
"I was trying to save that guy!"
"You should have told us then!"
"You ... You guys were busy. And...and we didn't have much time!"
"Maybe. But we wouldn't have complicated things. We would have saved him and escaped without a scratch."
"I..."
"Yes? You?"
"You don't have to point out that I'm an amateur."
I stared at her. "Why? Why didn't you use your wand?"
"What?"
"Why didn't you use your wand?"
"Because they were Muggles. I thought they were Muggles."
I shook my head. "You could have used your wand and then cleared their memories later. Why didn't you use your wand?"
"I... I didn't think. But I used the knife and the knuckle duster!"
I scoffed. "If you wanted to get beaten up that bad, you should have come to me. If you wanted to beat someone, you should have come to me."
"Why would I want to get beaten up? Are you out of your mind?"
"It is you who is out of mind! If you are angry or upset, eat as much as you want. If you are furious, and want to hurt someone or get hurt, chug some dreamless sleep potion and sleep."
"Are you mental?"
"So you want to keep denying that you were hurt after walking in on Sirius and his girlfriend, and you decided to go through physical pain to get over your emotional pain?"
She scoffed. "What?" She rolled her eyes. "Are you mad?"
"Look into my eyes and say that I'm wrong."
She looked into my eyes. "You are wrong."
"How can you lie through your teeth?"
She averted her eyes from me.
"That is not how you deal with that kind of shit."
"I'm tired, hungry and thirsty."
"Let's go upstairs."
"I want to go home. I want to sleep."
"People are waiting for us."
"What? Who?"
"Let's go. And we are not done talking."

*Sirius' POV*

The moment I opened the door, I pushed Prongs aside. "Are you alright?" I asked her.
She smiled and nodded.
She wasn't alright. She looked like she battled a dragon. Her eyes were red and tired.
She scared the shit out of me. I haven't been myself the moment I saw a death eater through her eyes.

Earlier, when I was busy with Charlotte, I suddenly got mind linked to her. I saw a masked death eater saying, "Let me see those pretty eyes now."
Startled, I pushed her off of me. She was startled and was disappointed. I apologized and told her that I have to go, and promised that I'll make it up to her.
That very moment, my locket grew warm and we received the location from Moony.
I apparated right away. Moony was already duelling the death eaters alongside Shivaji Patil who was Ravenclaw's chaser and few years above us. When I didn't see her, I started losing my shit.
When most of them fled, only two of them were caught. I almost used an unforgivable curse on one of them. "Where is she?" I raised my wand to curse the fallen death eater. "Where is she? Cru—"
"Dearborn took her!" Moony shouted. "Don't!"
"Lupin! You are in trouble. Come with me," Frank called.
Then Prongs and I had to go along with them, to the Ministry, where he told Moody what happened.
We went to Mungo's but they weren't there.
Andromeda told us they were at Dearborn's and Lily was with them.
I wanted to follow Prongs. But Moony said we concentrate on the important thing first.
Every cell in my body calmed down the moment I saw her.

She was surprised to see Dumbledore and Reg in my flat.
"Hey," she smiled nervously. "What are you doing here?" She asked Reg.
He just stared at her.
She clenched her jaw and looked at us. "Alright. Will you stop this? All this stupid silent treatment? I'm sorry I did without thinking. But I —"
"He wants you," Regulus cut her off.
"Who?" She asked, confused.
"Why don't you sit first," Dumbledore said calmly.
She sat beside Lily. "Who wants me?"
"Voldemort," Dumbledore replied.
Reg flinched at the name.
"Wants me? Why? What does he have to do with me? I'm not even interested in joining him."
Reg scoffed. "Aren't you even worried?"
"Should I be?"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Moony snapped at her.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" She scoffed. "I should be asking that!"
"I'm supposed to bring you to him," Reg said annoyed.
"Excuse me?"
"It seems like..." Dumbledore looked at her sternly. "Pyrites, who saw your eyes last time during the attack in Diagon Alley, has ordered a couple of his men to keep an eye on you. They were unsuccessful in finding you, until the day you were officially announced as a Potter. And they were following you since then."
She looked from Dumbledore to Reg.
"Today, they were actually supposed to cause a mess at the riot. Then they saw you. And we all know what happened," Reg said. "But things didn't go as they planned. As soon as the Dark lord heard that they messed up everything, he called them. And to save his skin, one of Pyrites' men told him everything."
"But...why were you the one to —"
"Bring you in?"
She nodded.
"Apparently, he came to know that you come to Hogwarts to meet Dumbledore everyday."
"How did—"
"It's not a secret. Few kids saw you at Hogwarts a couple of times. And then the news came. Kids usually don't keep their mouths shut. Do you remember the Slytherin boys you beat up when you first visited Hogwarts?"
"Vividly. Are they..."
"Yes. They told their parents and were summoned by the dark lord. They unanimously chose me for the job because Sirius is my brother and your friend, and it'd be easy for me to approach you. My cousin Bellatrix doesn't want me to succeed."
"What? Why?"
"She wants to be the one to capture you. Maybe to torture you first for hitting and humiliating her father. She's got her eyes on you for a very long time."
"I think we need to step it up then," she said turning to Dumbledore. "All we have to do is to kill the Basilisk, get the other horcruxes and destroy them. Then we can use me as a bait to trap him, and while I duel him, you finish him off."
"I beg your pardon?" Lily spoke for the first time.
She chuckled."Isn't it the British way of politely saying 'What the fck did you just say, bitch?' "
"POTTER!"
"KATHERINE PRYDE!"
"KATHERINE!"
"KATHERINE!"
"KATHERINE POTTER!"
"KATHERINE!"
She flinched as the six of us shouted at once. "Woah! What's wrong with you all?"
"What is wrong with you?" Moony glared at her.
She clutched her head. "What I supposed to do then?"
"Are you alright?" I asked.
She gave a curt nod. "The eyes thing isn't under my control. I'm not involving in the Order business. I'm trying to be normal. Have a normal life—"
"Why were you at Southall?" Dumbledore asked.
"I was there to save a person from dying! Now that we are talking about him, what happened to him?"
Silence filled the room.
"Wha...what happened to him?" She asked again. "Remus?"
"He was taken to the hospital."
"And?"
"We don't know what happened to him. I was taken for questioning. You and Dearborn were gone. Many people were injured during the attack. Most of them were taken to the hospital and their memories altered."
She stared at him in disbelief. "You people are unbelievable. What are you going to do if something happens to the guy?"
"It's not our fault," Reg said.
"I beg your pardon?" She raised her eyebrows.
"The injuries weren't caused by any wizard. You cannot just go whipping your wand everywhere! We are not supposed to involve in—"
"You all are pathetic," she said looking clearly disappointed.
"Katherine," Dumbledore said calmly. "Why are you interested in this particular person?"
"Because his death was... The culprits weren't punished. His girlfriend fought for justice for years. Nothing happened. He was fighting for something good. Against racism. Against injustice. For the oppressed. For equality. Sounds almost familiar right?"
"What happened after he died?"
"There were more riots... people fighting for the injustice... Tens of thousands of people."
"Did his death bring a change in something?"
She scoffed. "Why would someone's death bring a change in this society? People would never change if some stranger died. Please...do something. Let's go there. You can do something. You can heal him," she pleaded Dumbledore.
"I cannot do anything," Dumbledore shook his head.
"What do you mean you cannot do anything? You are Dumbledore. You are the master of the elder wand!"
"Nothing can bring back the dead."
We all snapped our heads at him.
"Wh... what?"
"That man died a few minutes ago in the hospital."
"How do you... You're coming from the hospital?"
Dumbledore slowly nodded.
She looked around at us and then scoffed. "So, we went through all this for nothing?" She bit her lip. "I couldn't save a Muggle and here I am thinking about saving people from dying. I'm stupid." She looked up at the ceiling.
"Katherine," Dumbledore said in a soothing voice. "In the end, we all have to die."
"Says the man who is a century old," she said through gritted teeth. "Innocent people getting killed at a very young age isn't fair!" She screamed.
"Pryde," I put my hands on her shoulder to calm her down.
She looked at me in the eye and pushed my hands away.
That hurt me more than anything else.
She turned back to Dumbledore. "Innocent people aren't supposed to die. Good people aren't supposed to die," her voice was shaking.
"Death is inevitable. It comes for everyone," Prongs spoke at last.
"You should never bow down to death. You should fight it. You only bow down to God and no one else."
"You need rest," Prongs said
"Train me," she looked at everyone. "What I know... isn't enough. I need to train more faster and harder. This ten hour routine isn't enough. I need to double it. If he is looking for me, then I should be ready to face him."
"Yes, you should be," Dumbledore nodded. "But for now, you need to rest."
"I'm hungry and thirsty," she mumbled.
I smiled. "Let's go out somewhere then."
"Remus, wanna go out with me?"
Another pang. Is she avoiding me?
Moony looked at me. "I... I —"
"Nevermind. I wanna be alone," she cut him off before he could answer.
"You aren't going anywhere," Prongs said sternly.
"I'm not planning to," she shrugged. "I wanna go home."
"Alright then. Let us meet tomorrow," Dumbledore got to his feet, chuckling. "We should get going. Regulus?"
"May I have a word with you?" Reg asked her. "Alone."
She nodded.
And they both walked out of the flat.
"Why didn't you say anything to her?" Prongs asked Dumbledore. "I thought you called her here to... to give her a lecture."
He smiled. "All she needs right now is food, sleep and perhaps a shoulder to lean on."
"What are you going to do about Regulus and her?" I asked.
"We should never rush. We have plenty of time."
"He will come," Lily said. "He will come for her."
"Yes, he will," he nodded.
"So, are you going to double her training?" Moony asked.
Dumbledore smiled. "She is doing alright for now."
"I know this is off topic," I said scratching my neck. "But... Is she avoiding me?"
"Why would she avoid you?" Lily asked.
"I... I don't know... I thought..."
"Stop thinking, Padfoot," Prongs rolled his eyes.

*Third person's POV*

Regulus and Kitty, calmly walked out of Sirius' flat, and onto the deserted street.
He grabbed her hard and pushed her against the wall.
"Oouuch! What was that for?"
"What were you thinking earlier?" He growled.
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you do everything you did?"
The cold grey eyes stared into her dark ones.
"I told you why. I was there to save him!"
"Why didn't you use your wand?"
"They were Muggles! How can I use my wand? Besides they clearly —"
"You could've defended yourself and then someone could have taken care of their memories."
"I... I did not think—"
"You did it on purpose."
"What do you mean I did it on purpose? Are you mad?"
"It's you who is mad!"
"Regulus, you're scaring me."
"You got into a fist fight because you wanted to. You got beaten up because you wanted to. You saw the death eater and you still didn't take out your wand, but cut his throat."
"In my defense, I did not see a death eater. My eyes were blurry. I just whipped my hand wildly. That's all."
"Your eyes were blurry?!" He asked surprised.
She nodded. "I..." She frowned, thinking. "He...he came over to me asked to see my pretty eyes. Are my eyes pretty?"
"Shut up! This is not funny."
"Calm down. It is I, who should be getting upset."
"Oh yeah? Because you were the one who is supposed to capture a friend and take her to your master right?"
"I...I'm sorry."
"Nevermind," Regulus ran his fingers through his hair, annoyed. "I can work this out perfectly according to the plan."
"What's the plan?"
"There isn't any... Yet..."
"We'll be alright."
"You think so?"
"I know so," she smiled.
And Regulus knew she was faking it.
"You were supposed to be kept hidden. Anyway, the dark lord doesn't completely believe everything about you. He thinks Pyrites might be lying. He wants to see it for himself. I'll try to keep you safe, with our... connection."
She smiled.
"Are you alright?" He asked concerned.
She chuckled. "Why? You think I'm not?"
He stared into her eyes.
"I'm alright," she looked away from him.
"Who are you lying to?" James said walking over to them.
"Were you eavesdropping?" She frowned.
"Not really..." James shrugged. "My ears are quite sensitive."
She rolled her eyes.
"You should stop doing this to yourself," James said.
She smirked. "What am I doing to myself?"
"Stop acting like you are okay," Regulus said.
She scoffed. "What are you two talking about? If we are done talking, you both can go inside."
"Isn't it usually the other way around? People usually say they want to leave," James raised this eyebrows.
She stared at them both. "Stop doing whatever you are doing right now."
"I think we should say that," James said. "Just let it out."
"I'm leaving," she pushed them aside to walk away but James grabbed her hand.
"It will hurt you more if you bottle it up. Don't do it."
"Let me go."
"Kitty, let it out. Stop hurting yourself."
She did not say a word. She stood there, frozen.
"You were the one who told me that it's okay to let it out. It's okay to cry," Regulus said calmly.
"Stop," she said with a shaky voice.
"No," they both said in unison.
"Look at us," James said tightening his grip.
"How wonderful would it be if it was raining," she mumbled.
Regulus waved his wand and muttered spells under his breath and soon enough, a cloud formed above them, and it started pouring down.
She stopped resisting and slumped down on the ground.
James and Regulus exchanged glances.
She started sobbing uncontrollably.
They both crouched beside her. James wrapped his arms around her and Regulus held her hand.
"When you are in love with someone, you should let them know how you feel about them," James said rubbing her shoulders.
"I can't," she sobbed. "I don't wanna lose the friendship. I don't wanna make him feel uncomfortable. I can't lose him."
"But... He might like you back!" Regulus squeezed her hand.
"I love him, Regulus. I've been in love with him for a very long time... I madly fell in love with a person who doesn't exist. I was so mad about him, that I even never tried to date someone else. Because it felt like I was cheating on him. I... I don't want him to like me back. I want him to fall in love with me. I know it sounds to selfish or immature or silly or childish...but... I can't stop the feeling... " She sobbed uncontrollably.
James and Regulus looked at each other, helpless.
"But... But I think he likes you too," James said.
She shook her head. "Then why did I see him with someone else? It's not the first time I walked in on him, snogging someone... But it broke my heart into a million pieces, every single time. And every time, I super glued the pieces together. I'm...I'm —"
"Go out with Dearborn," James cut her off.
She snapped her head towards him.
"I'm not kidding. Stop doing this. Stop torturing yourself."
"Torturing yourself won't get your anything," Regulus added. "Beating up people and getting beaten up is not how you do things. Forget about him for a while and explore the world. And it's always better to like someone who likes you back than to like someone who constantly keeps hurting you."
"Kitty, the only way to turn someone's head towards you is to do things out of ordinary. If you are meant to be together, no matter what happens, you will be together."
"But... What about the other person? I can't hurt him."
"You won't."
"Stop crying. Please."

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AN: Sorry sorry sorry sorry.
I know it's been ages since I uploaded a new chapter... I've been busy a bit ...
I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)
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